BX9225.D2  J63  1903 

Johnson,  Thonias  Gary,  1859-1930 

Life  and  letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 


^^YCLy^C^y-y-Ui££^      "TjU^^-k^'^  , 


THE 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


OF 

Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 


BY 

THOMAS  GARY  JOHNSON. 


RICHMOND,  VA. : 

The  Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication. 


Copyrighted  by 

The  Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication 

R.  E.  Magill,  Secretary 

1903 


Printed  by 

Whittet  &  Shepperson 

Richmond,  Va. 


TO 

Ibis  Ximife, 

A   TRUE   helpmeet; 
TO 

XTbat  /iDultituDe  of  Ibis  ©l&  Students 

WHO  LOVED  AND  ADMIRED   HIM; 
AND 

TLO  Hll 

WHO  HOLD  IN  REVERENCE  FAITHFULNESS  TO  CONVICTIONS, 
UNSWERVING  INTEGRITY,  PATRIOTISM  OF  THE  FIRST  ORDER, 
HIGH  AND  PURE   FAMILY  AFFECTIONS,  ABSOLUTE  LOYALTY  TO 

THE  Word    of    God,    and    strenuous    and    persisting 

SERVICE  TO  THE  LORD  JeSUS  ChRIST, 

THIS  VOLUME 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


An  effort  has  been  made  to  present,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the 
genuine  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  in  this  book.  He  did  not 
relish  the  thought  of  being  trimmed  to  suit  the  notions  of  an 
author  or  an  editor,  and  thus  presented  to  the  public.  When 
his  Collected  Discussions  were  being  brought  out,  there  was 
some  criticism  of  one  of  the  articles  to  be  presented  in  the  first 
volume.  The  critic  made  the  point  that  the  article  objected  to 
would  injure  Dr.  Dabney 's  reputation  if  republished.  The 
Doctor,  on  hearing  this,  turned  somewhat  sharply  to  us,  and 
said:  "What  do  you  think  of  this?  Do  you  like  the  plan  of 
trimming  a  man,  whose  life  and  work  you  would  perpetuate,  to 
suit  your  notions,  and  then  handing  the  resultant  down  as  if  it 
were  real?"  We  made  answer,  that  it  seemed  to  us  that,  if  a 
man's  works  and  life  were  worthy  of  preservation  through  the 
medium  of  the  press,  they  and  he  should  be  handed  down  as 
they  were,  warts  and  all.  He  replied  emphatically,  "The  truth 
demands  it,  sir."  The  memory  of  this  little  conversation  helps 
to  explain  the  presence  of  some  features  of  the  book.  He  was 
so  intensely  honest  that  he  would  have  abhorred  any  effort  to 
present  him  sheared  to  the  demands  of  current  moral  and 
religious  tastes. 

A  preliminary  study  of  the  materials  gathered  for  the  con- 
struction of  Dr.  Dabney's  life  convinced  us  that  it  was  quite 
possible  to  bring  out  the  story  of  his  life  largely  in  his  own 
words,  by  the  use  of  his  letters,  and  to  state  the  gist  of  most  of 
his  great  contentions  succinctly  and  clearly  in  his  own  words 
also.  We  resolved  to  do  this,  and  thus  to  give  the  reader  the 
comfortable  feeling  of  certainty  that  he  had  before  him  the 
genuine  history,  and  not  simply  our  view  of  it.  In  addition  to 
the   feeling  of  certainty   which   this   plan   should  give  to   the 


vi  Preface. 

reader,  it  has  many  other  obvious  advantages,  of  which  it  is 
not  necessary  to  speak.  Epistolary  Hterature,  by  strong  and 
intelHgent  men  of  the  old  school,  writing  generally  without 
thought  of  publication,  is  about  the  most  fascinating  form  of 
sober  literature.  On  the  ado,ption  of  this  plan,  it  at  once  became 
necessary  for  the  author  to  put  the  brakes  on  the  running  of  his 
own  pen.  Indeed,  it  became  his  duty  to  say  as  little  as  was 
consistent  with  the  clear  presentation  of  the  story.  He  has  had, 
from  time  to  time,  to  fill  gaps,  to  bring  the  actors  before  the 
house,  to  explain  somewhat  the  general  situations,  political, 
religious  and  social,  etc.,  that  some  of  the  younger  on-lookers 
might  understand  what  Dr.  Dabney  and  his  contemporary 
friends,  neighbors,  foes,  etc.,  were  doing.  As  the  work  was  to 
be  a  one  volume  octavo  of  not  over  six  hundred  pages,  this  was 
an  imperative  restraint  on  our  pen. 

The  student  of  theology  and  philosophy  may  find  fault  with 
the  work  on  the  ground  that  too  little  space  is  given  to  the 
exposition  of  Dr.  Dabney 's  theological  and  philosophical  sys- 
tem. The  general  reader  may  find  fault  that  too  much  space 
has  been  given  to  the  treatment  of  these  subjects.  To  the  gen- 
eral reader  we  would  say  that  a  life  of  Dr.  Dabney  must  have 
considerable  space  devoted  to  this  part  of  his  life's  effort,  in 
order  to  correspond  to  the  reality.  To  the  student  of  philosophy 
and  theology  it  may  be  said  that  his  published  systems  are  to 
be  had,  and  that  nothing  more  could  be  attempted,  in  our  limits, 
than  to  give  a  general  view.  The  view  given  is  believed  to  be 
accurate. 

Our  friend,  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Walthall,  Ph.  D.,  has  prepared 
the  index  for  the  work.  Dr.  Dabney's  sons  and  his  venerable 
consort  read  the  manuscript,  and  submitted  valuable  criticisms, 
which  were  carefully  pondered  and  generally  applied  to  the 
improvement  of  our  manuscript  before  its  submission  to  the 
publishers.  Thanks  are  due,  not  only  to  these,  but  to  a  multi- 
tude of  friends  and  old  pupils  for  materials  carefully  preserved, 
industriously  hunted  up,  and  forwarded  for  our  use. 


Preface.  vii 

One  word  more :  though  very  sensible  of  the  honor  done 
us  in  the  asking  of  this  work  at  our  hands  by  his  family  and 
many  of  his  friends,  we  never  sought  it;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  shrank  from  the  responsibilities  involved  in  the  under- 
taking. We  have  never  made  the  claim  of  fitness  for  the  work. 
We  have  done  the  best  we  could  under  our  limitations ;  and 
we  send  the  work  forth  with  the  prayer  that  it  may  be  used 
of  God  to  excite  in  many  breasts  a  love  for  truth,  for  honesty, 
for  things  morally  beautiful,  for  God,  like  that  by  which  Robert 
Lewis  Dabney  was  himself  moved. 

T.  C.  J. 

Union   Tlicological  Seminary.  Richmond.  Va. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Parentage  and  Birth. 

Page. 

Introduction.  —  The  Dabneys.  —  Immediate  ancestral  lines.  —  His 
father's  occupation,  traits,  character,  standing  in  social,  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  relations,  and  his  early  death. — His  mother's 
lineage,  characteristics  and  influence  on  her  son  Robert  Lewis. — 
Brothers  and  sisters. — Product  of  ante-bellum  Virginia  civiliza- 
tion.— Boyhood  home, I 

CHAPTER  H. 

Early  Boyhood. 

(March  5,  1820 — June  i,  1836.) 

Modest  circumstances. — His  first  teacher. — An  old-field  school. — His 
teachers  in  such  schools. — His  brother  Charles  William,  Mr. 
Caleb  Burnley,  Mr.  Thomas  Meredith. — His  text-books. — Mr. 
Charles  Burnley. — His  studies  under  the  Rev.  James  Wharey. — 
His  father's  death,  26 

CHAPTER  HI. 

While  Student  at  Hampden-Sidney  College. 

(June  I,  1836 — September  27,  1837.) 

Time  spent  af  Hampden-Sidney. — Studies  pursued  to  completion 
there. — Habits'  of  study. — Nervous  feeling  of  obligation  to  do 
well  from  the  start ;  painstaking  effort  on  every  part  of  his 
course;  writes  his  declamations. — Other  habits  there;  respect 
for  the  rules  of  the  College;  not  much  given  to  social  visiting; 
carefulness  in  regard  to  expenses ;  neatness.  —  Views  of  the 
College;  description  of  the  professors.  —  Views  of  the  stu- 
dents.— Shepperson.  Hoge. — Views  of  the  community. — Persons 
with  whom  he  boarded  while  at  College.  —  His  letter-writing 
while  there :  his  homesickness  at  first ;  what  sort  of  letters  he 
desired  from  home;  what  he  wrote  about  himself ;  his  affection 
for  his  family  shown  in  his  letters. — Reasons  for  discontinuing 
his  studies  at  Hampden-Sidney. — View  taken  of  him  at  Hamp- 
den-Sidney at  the  time. — His  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ. — 
His  first  communion,   30 


X  Contents. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Early  Efforts  to  Aid  his  Mother. 

(October,  1837 — December  9,  1839.) 

Working  in  quarry.— His  first  school.— The  summer  of  1838.— His 
second  school— Visit  to  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Reuben  Lewis,  of  Albe- 
marle county  in  1839. — The  invitation  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis. — 
His  correspondents  the  meanwhile,   44 

CHAPTER  V. 

Life  at  the  University  of  Virginia. 

(December  9,  1839 — July  5,  1842.) 

The  University  of  Virginia  at  the  time. — Young  Dabney's  view  of 
the  University,  of  Professors  Bonnycastle,  Powers  and  Sylves- 
ter, Rodgers  and  Emmet.  Tucker  and  Harrison. — His  views  of 
the  student  body,  and  the  murder  of  Professor  Davis. — Views 
of  the  community. — His  painstaking  efforts  as  a  student,  and 
his  achievements  in  the  several  sessions. — Attempts  at  com- 
position. —  Christian  work  in  behalf  of  his  fellow-students. — 
Member  of  a  total  abstinence  society. — Beginning  of  his  friend- 
ship with  the  Rev.  William  S.  White. — Gives  attention  to  poli- 
tics, slavery,  to  his  mother's  farming  operations. — Teaches  his 
brother  Francis  while  at  the  University. — Interest  in  his  sister 
Betty. — Some  of  his  correspondents. — Funds  with  which  he  got 
through  the  University,   50 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Interval  Between  his  University  and  Seminary  Life. 

(July  6,  1842 — October,  1844.) 

Mind  made  up  to  study  for  the  ministry. — Reasons  for  not  going  to 
the  Seminary  at  once. — Manner  in  which  this  interval  was 
actually  put  in :  managing  the  farm,  teaching  classical  schools, 
getting  means  with  which  to  go  through  the  Seminary,  reading 
and  correspondence. — Other  vocations  offered.— Determined  to 
the  ministry,   76 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Student  Life  at  U.n'ion    Seminary. 

(November,  1844 — May,  1846.) 

Union  Seminary  in  1844. — Mr.  Dabney's  journey  thither. — His  room 
in  Seminary  building. — His  boarding-place. — Impressions  of  the 


Contents.  xi 

Page. 
Faculty;  of  his  fellow-students ;  of  "The  Hill"  people;  of  the 
people  of  Prince  Edward  county.  —  Time  he  spent  here  as  a 
student.— His  energies  in  study.— Efforts  to  preach.— The  criti- 
cisms. —  Efforts  to  write.  —  Forms  of  exercise.  —  Forms  of 
recreation.— His  correspondence.— His  licensure.— Completion 
of  studies  at  the  Seminary,   


82 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  Missionary  in  Louisa  County. 

(June,  1846— June,   1847.) 

Disinclination  to  undertake  the  work.— Wanted  by  the  people.— 
Pleasure  in  his  work,  and  acceptance  with  his  people.— Varied 
and  extensive  correspondence.— Continued  ill-health.— Trip  to 
the  White  Sulphur  and  to  the  Hot  Springs.— Invitations  to  other 
fields.— The  advice  of  Dr.  Meredith,  and  the  invitation  to  visit 
Tinkling  Spring.— The  call  and  decision  to  accept  it,   96 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring. 

(July,  1847— August,  1853.) 

The  beginning.— Laborious  and  successful  pastorate.— A  season  of 
despondency.— Revival.— An  honest,  faithful,  able  pastor.— Home 
with  Mr.  Hugh  Guthrie.— Marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Lavinia 
Morrison.— Still  at  Mr.  Guthrie's.— "Sleepy  Hollow."— "Stone 
Cottage."— "Bobby"  and  "Jimmy."— Domestic  trials  and  joys.— 
Still  the  best  of  brothers  and  sons.— Abundant  in  other  labors 
also.  —  Preaching  tours.  —  School-keeping.— Correspondence.— 
Farming.— Study  on  special  lines.— Able  contributions  to  papers 
and  periodicals.— Condition  of  the  Seminary  at  the  time.— Diffi- 
culty in  proper  filling  of  the  chairs.— An  article  on  duty  of 
prayer  for  conversion  of  our  youth  and  increase  of  ministers.— 
His  election  in  March,  1852.— General  commendation  of  this 
act.— Receives  title  of  D.  D.— Goes  to  Hampden-Sidney,   

CHAPTER  X. 

Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity. 

(August,  1853— May,  1859.) 

View  of  the  importance  of  the  chair.— Time  during  which  he  occu- 
pied this  chair.— His  inaugural.— Method  of  teaching.— Holds 
high  ideals  before  the  students.— Vigor  and  success  of  his  work 
in   this   department.— Other   labors    for  the   Seminary:     raising 


108 


xii  Contents. 

Page. 
money ;  drumming  for  a  high  order  of  students ;  superintending 
improvements ;  seeking  professors ;  teaching  theology  to  the 
Senior  Class,  in  iSsS-'sg. — Head  man  in  the  Seminary  after 
1854. — Dr.  Sampson's  death,  in  1854,  and  loss  to  the  Seminary. — 
Dr.  B.  M.  Smith's  election  to  fill  the  vacant  chair, — Dr.  William 
J.  Hoge's  election  to  fill  the  new  professorship. — -Reorganization 
of  the  Seminary  studies. — -Varying  fortunes  of  the  Institution 
in  the  period. — Mr.  Dabney's  devotion  to  the  Institution,  138 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity. 

(Continued.) 

(August,  1853— May,  1859.) 

Literary  labors :  memoir  of  Sampson ;  contributions  to  the  Central 
Presbyterian,  the  Presbyterian  Critie  and  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Review. — Incidental  labors  as  pulpit  supply,  as  Professor 
of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  Hampden-Sidney  College, 
1857-58. — Trips  to  New  York. — Meanwhile  a  checkered  home 
life:  a  devoted  wife;  other  children  born;  deaths  of  Bobby 
and  Jimmy.  —  His  grief.  —  Effects  on  his  preaching.  — 
Sympathy  shown.  —  Imperfect  health.  —  A  voluminous  corre- 
spondence all  the  while.- — Much  consulted. — Letters  from  his 
friends  at  Tinkling  Spring. — Letter  from  Thomas  J.  Kirk- 
patrick.— Letters  to  his  wife. — His  social  life  at  Hampden- 
Sidney. — The  Virginia  Society  he  loved, 156 

CHAPTER  XH. 

First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology:   Trying  to  Stay  the  Coming 
OF  "the  Irrepressible  Conflict.'^ 

(May,  1859— May,  1861.) 

The  prosperity  of  the  Seminary,  i859-'6i. — Transferred  to  the  Chair 
of  Systematic  and  Polemic  Theology. — Relations  with  Dr.  Wil- 
son.— Method  of  conducting  the  course  in  theology. — Success  in 
his  new  chair.  —  Other  labors  for  the  Seminary.  —  Labors  as 
preacher  and  pastor. — Growth  of  his  congregations. — Building 
of  the  present  College  Church. — Attempts  made  to  move  him 
North :  to  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  church ;  to  Princeton 
Seminary. — Labors  as  a  Christian  minister  to  stop  the  rising 
rancor  between  the  sections. — "Christians,  pray  for  your  coun- 
try."— "Christians'  Best  Motive  for  Patriotism,"  and  other 
efforts. — Views  his  efforts  as  fruitless. — Continues  them  in  the 
"Pacific  Appeal  to  Christians." — View  of  the  proper  attitude  of 
the  minister  as  such  toward  political  questions. — His  ministerial 


Contents.  >^iii 

Page. 

work  of  this  kind  much  commended.— His  own  poHtical  views.— 
His  wide  correspondence  on  the  state  of  the  country.— Protest 
against  northern  aggression:  "On  the  State  of  the  Country."— 
Caught  in  the  current  of  the  prevaihng  enthusiasm.— Other 
literary  labors.— Continued  devotion  to  his  mother  and  other 
members  of  her  family,  ^94 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

In  the  War  Time. 

(Alay,  1861— May,  1865.) 

His  appreciation  of  the  blunder  in  the  Southern  mode  of  pro- 
cedure.—Four  months  as  chaplain  of  the  Eighteenth  Virginia 
Volunteers,  Colonel  Withers.— Acquaintance  with  General  Jack- 
son renewed.  —  Organization  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church.— Seminary  session  of  1861-62.— Dissatisfied  with  the 
conduct  of  the  war.— Mrs.  Stonewall  Jackson  his  guest  in  spring 
of  1862.— Tendered  office  of  chief  of  staff  to  General  Jackson.— 
Service  on  Jackson's  staff.  —  Resignation,  September,  1862.— 
Slow  recovery.— Death  of  "Tommy."— Seminary  session  of 
1862-63.— Literary  labors  during  this  session :  Defense  of  Vir- 
ginia, ct  al.  —  Correspondence  during  this  and  the  following 
months.— Writing  Life  of  Stonezvall  Jackson,  1863-64.— Semi- 
nary session  1863-64.— Incidental  occupations  in  the  late  sum- 
mer of  1864.— Feelings  with  which  he  now  watched  the  war. — 
Sees  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the  Synod  of  the  South  with  his 
church  succeed.— Seminary  session  i864-'65.— Looking  out  for 
meat.— Missionary  to  the  army,  1865.— The  surrender.— Queries,  235 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate. 

(May,  1865— May,  1869.) 

A  new  start  in  life.— The  state  of  the  country  during  this  period.— 
Dr.  Dabney's  fears  for  the  future  of  state  and  church.— His 
desire  to  emigrate,  and  agitation  of  the  subject.— Hence,  his 
girl-school.— Prospects  of  the  Seminary  at  the  beginning  of  this 
period.— Plans  for  the  conduct  of  the  session  1865-66.— Im- 
proved condition  of  the  Seminary  after  1866.— Deterioration  of 
its  environment.— Dr.  Dabney's  thought  of  leaving  the  Seminary 
for  a  pastorate.— Severe  labors  for  the  institution,  neverthe- 
less.—His  labors  as  pastor  in  the  College  Church.— His  literary 
labors  in  this  period,  and  ecclesiastical  services. — Quits  keeping 
house   in   1866.— The   stay   of   his   mother's   family,   and   many 


xiv  Contents. 

Page. 

Others. — His  care  for  his  mother. — TTie  iron  in  his  soul. — Too 
hopeless  of  his  country  and  church. — Great  exponent  of  the  old 
South  of  the  period. — Saved  by  the  grace  of  God  and  his  own 
simple  and  great  manhood  for  further  service,  299 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Settled  in  Virginia  as  Teacher,  Writer,  Man  and  Pastor. 

(June,  1869-1874.) 

Purchasing  a  home  for  his  family. — Picture  of  his  life  at  the  time.- — 
Labors  as  teacher. — Influence  on  students. — Labors  as  writer. — 
His  Sacred  Rhetoric. — Syllabus  and  Notes  of  the  Course  of  Sys- 
tematic  and  Polemic  Theology.  —  Review  articles  on  religious 
themes. — Controversy  with  Dr.  Woodrow. — Political  writings. — 
Ecclesiastical  services. — Moderator  of  the  Assembly,  1870. — 
Great  speech  against  fusion  with  Northern  Church. — Refutation 
of  Dr.  Van  Dyke's  attempt  to  justify  the  fusion  of  the  New 
and  Old  School  North. — Friendly  toward  the  movement  for 
closer  relations  between  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  and  the 
Southern  Church. — Labors  incidental  to  his  position  as  teacher 
and  writer. — For  deserving  objects  of  benevolence. — The  ad- 
viser and  stay  of  his  mother's  family. — Lossi  of  his  mother. — 
Work  for  Hampden-Sidney  College. — Discontinuance  of  his 
relations  as  pastor  of  the  College  Church. — His  home  life. — 
Happiness  in  his  sons, 328 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Last  Stadium  of  his  Course  in  Union  Seminary. 

(1874-1883.) 

Plans  to  lighten  his  labors. — No  slackening  of  mental  labors  nor 
literary  productiveness. — 'Work  in  his  chair  and  outside  in  the 
Seminary's  behalf,  and  the  condition  of  the  institution. — 
Second  edition  of  his  Syllabus. — "Sensualistic  Philosophy  of  the 
Nineteenth  Century  Considered." — Writings  against  movements 
in  the  church :  Against  fusion  with  the  Northern  Presbyterians ; 
against  the  Pan-Presbyterian  Alliance  movement. — Controversy 
with  Dr.  A.  T.  Bledsoe  and  "other"  pelagians. — Writings  on 
sundry  theological  subjects.  —  Inductive  logic.  —  Controversy 
with  Dr.  William  H.  Rufifner  over  the  free-school  system  im- 
posed by  the  Underwood  Constitution. — Writings  on  political 
topics. — Editorial  work  on  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Review. — 
Thought  of  founding  a  review  in  Virginia. — Endeavor  to  re- 
move the  Southern  Prcsbvtcriaii  Rcviciv  to  Richmond,  then  to 


Contents.  xv 

Page. 

Charleston,  S.  C,  and  to  increase  its  circulation. — Interested  in 
everything. — Consulted  about  many  movements  and  questions. — 
Feels  his  partial  isolation,  nevertheless. — Happiness  in  his  own 
family,  and  in  the  students,  and  in  neighbors, 367 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Last  Stadium  of  his  Course  in  Union  Seminary. 

(Continued.) 

(1874-1883.) 

Trip  to  Europe. — Correspondence. — Declining  health. — Election  to 
the  Chair  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  the  University  of 
Texas. — Wide-spread  regret  at  his  severance  of  his  relations 
with  the  Seminary. — He  leaves  Hampden-Sidney  and  Virginia 
for  Texas 413 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas. 

(1883-1894.) 

Austin :  the  society  there  and  Dr.  Dabney's  friends. — The  kind  of 
home  he  enjoyed  there. — His  great  work  for  the  University  of 
Texas :  by  class-room  work  and  life ;  by  his  writings,  philo- 
sophical, sociological  and  political,  theological  and  ecclesiastical, 
literary. — Testimony  of  Mr.  Gregory  and  of  Mr.  Wooldridge. — 
View  of  the  relation  of  the  University  of  Texas  to  the  De- 
nominational colleges  of  the  State. — The  Austin  School  of 
Theology  and  his  post  therein. — Services  in  behalf  of  the  church 
at  large. — Occasional  preaching. — Increasing  physical  infirmi- 
ties; severe  illness  in  1890;  total  blindness. — Severance  from 
the  University. — Universal  interests. — Voluminous  correspond- 
ence.— Sons  already  prominent  and  successful  men,   443 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  • 

(June,  1894 — January,  i8g8.) 

The  summer  of  1894.  —  Lectures  in  Louisville  Seminary  in  the 
autumn  of  1894. — The  rest  at  Victoria. — The  last  teaching  in 
the  Austin  School  of  Theology.- — His  continued  interest  in  the 
reestablishment  of  the  School. — His  large  views  as  to  the  need 
of  more  Presbyterian  education  in  Texas. — Letter  from  his  old 
students  in  the  Dallas  Assembly,  and  his  reply  thereto. — The 
summer  of  1895. — Reminiscent  moods. — Letter  from  the  Synod 


xvi  Contents. 

Page. 
of  Texas  of  1895,  and  his  answer. — The  autumn,  winter  and 
spring  of  1895-96.  —  Tlie  summer  of  1896.  —  The  winter  of 
i896-'97. — In  the  Assembly  at  Charlotte  in  1897. — Summering 
in  North  CaroHna. — Lectures  in  Davidson  College  and  at  Co- 
lumbia Seminary  in  autumn  of  1897. — Again  in  Victoria,  De- 
cember, 1897,  to  January,  i8g8. — Writings  during  this  period. — 
Letter  to  his  children  to  be  read  after  his  death, 495 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes,  524 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Summary  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Services. 

Primal  traits. — Energy  and  power  of  his  faculties  of  mind  and 
heart. — Sense  of  responsibility.— Christian  character. — Sanctified 
common-sense. — In  his  several  functions  :  as  preacher ;  teacher ; 
theologian;  philosopher;  political  economist;  statesman;  pa- 
triot; friend;  servant  of  God;  the  great  conservative 541 

Appendix,  571 

Index,    577 


THE   LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


Robert  Lewis  Dabney,  d.  d.,  ll.  d. 


CHAPTER  I. 
PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTH. 


Introduction. — The  Dabneys. — Immediate  Ancestral  Lines. — His 
Father's  Occupation,  Traits,  Character,  Standing  in  Social, 
Civil  and  Ecclesiastical  Relations,  and  his  Early  Death. — His 
Mother's  Lineage,  Characteristics  and  Influence  on  her  Son, 
Robert  Lewis. — Brothers  and  Sisters. — Product  of  Ante-Bellum 
Virginia  Civilization. — Boyhood  Home. 

UNDER  the  forms  of  a  republican  government,  and  in  an 
age  of  advanced  civilization,  every  man  ought  to  be  tested 
by  his  own  personal  merits,  and  with  little  reference  to  the 
character  and  the  reputation  of  his  ancestors.  The  readers  of 
this  biography  are,  accordingly,  invited  to  test  its  subject  by 
what  he  was  and  did,  and  not  by  the  lines  of  which  he  sprang. 
Nevertheless,  being  mindful  of  the  facts  of  heredity,  and  that 
the  beginning  of  what  he  was  and  did  was  made  far  back  of  the 
time  when  his  individual  existence  began,  we  must  give  a  brief 
account  of  his  parentage. 

Without  ofifending  against  a  just  theory  of  republican 
equality,  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  could  cherish  an  honest  pride  in 
the  character  of  his  ancestry.  That  ancestry  had  not  been 
marked  by  great  riches,  nor  by  preferment,  which,  because  they 
-are  so  often  acquired  by  crooked  and  indirect  means,  are 
equivocal  evidences  of  merit  at  best,  but  it  had  been  marked  by 
very  much  the  same  moral  and  religious  traits  that  appeared 
in  him.  The  Rev.  John  Blair  Dabney,  a  second  cousin  to  our 
subject,  said  to  his  sons,  "Among  your  numerous  connections 
you  can  count  but  few,  if  any,  of  the  great  ones  of  earth,  but 
you  may  boast  of  many  who  were  exemplary  in  all  the  relations 
of  private  life — honored  and  respected  in  their  generations, 
beloved  by  their  friends  and  kindred,  useful  to  their  fellow-men, 


2  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

and  active  in  discharging  all  the  obligations  pertaining  to  the 
social  and  domestic  circle. 

"  'Along  the  cool,  sequestered  vale  of  life, 

They  kept  the  noiseless  tenor  of  their  way,' 

undisturbed  by  the  anxious  dreams  of  ambition,  and  uncor- 
rupted  by  the  angry  strife  and  multiplied  temptations  of  a 
public  career."  ^ 

This  is  a  very  modest,  but  just  estimate  put  upon  their  fore- 
bears. The  stock  from  which  Robert  Lewis,  along  with  John 
Blair  Dabney  derived  their  origin  was  such  as  to  invest  them 
with  the  obligation  to  act  well  their  part  in  life,  "so  as  to  avoid 
the  reproach  of  degeneracy."  That  stock  made  it  incumbent 
on  them  to  manifest  kind  and  noble  dispositions,  to  exhibit 
staunch  and  unyielding  regard  for  principle,  energy  of  action, 
and  extraordinary  steadfastness  of  character,  and  to  maintani 
an  honorable  course  of  conduct.  Such  ancestors  as  they  had 
were,  and  should  always  be,  a  spur  to  high  endeavor,  and  a 
demand  for  it.  This  was  capital  for  the  proper  use  of  which 
they  were  responsible. 

The  Dabneys  are  numerous  in  Alassachusetts,  in  Mrginia^ 
and  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  It  is  coiumonly  believed  amonst 
them  that  they  are  all  related,  and  it  is  prevalently  held  amongst 
them  that  their  origin,  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  was  in  three 
brothers — Robert  Dabney,  or  d'Aubigne,  who  came  to  Boston 
a  short  time  previous  to  1717,  and  John  and  Cornelius  Dabney. 
or  d'Aubigne,  who  came  to  Virginia  between  171 5,  perhaps,  and 
1720.  It  is  also  their  prevalent  belief  that  these  brothers  came 
to  this  country  from  England  ;  that  the  family  had  fled  thither 
from  France  on  occasion  of  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes.  Finally,  many  in  all  branches  of  this  widespread 
family  claim  descent  from  the  old  confessor,  Theodore  Agrippa 
d'Aubigne. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  this  claim  of  descent  from  the  old 
Huguenot  historian,  warrior,  wit  and  poet,  and  trusted  friend 
of  Henry  IV.,  it  will  be  readily  conceded  that  many  of  the 
Dabneys  possess  traits  of  mind,  heart  and  will  similar  to  those 

'  Quoted  from  page  7  of  Dr.  C.  W.  Dal)ney's  copy  of  "The  John 
Blair  Dahney  Manuscript,  Written  out  with  his  own  hand  for  his  Chil- 
dren, A.  D.  1850."  Copied  under  the  supervision  of  Charles  W.  Dahney, 
Knoxville.  Tcnn.     "January-February,  igoi." 


Parentage  and  Birth.  3 

which  made  this  old  hero  conspicuous,  and  that  the  claim  that 
the  name  Dabney  is  a  modification  of  d'Aubigne  is  a  claim 
demanding-  respect  as  one  based  upon  a  good  deal  of  solid 
evidence.  It  may  be  admitted  .as  practically  certain  that  the 
family  was  a  Huguenot  one,  and  that  the  name  went  through 
various  changes  after  the  family  left  France;  that,  as  it  has 
been  asserted,  "It  was  variously  written  de  Boney,  de  Beny, 
de  Bonis,  Daubenay,  Daubney,  Dabnee,  Dabney."  - 


'  Sketch  of  the  Dabneys  of  J'irginia,  zvith  some  Family  Records. 
Collected  and  Arranged  by  William  H.  Dabney,  of  Boston.  Chicago : 
Press  of  S.  D.  Child  &  Co.  1888.  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  is  quoted,  how- 
ever in  this  work,  p.  24,  as  follows :  "The  tradition  which  I  heard  from 
my  parents  was  that  the  stock  from  which  we  are  sprung  emigrated 
to  the  banks  of  the  York  river,  Virginia,  from  somewhere  about  Cam- 
bridgeshire or  Norfolk,  England,  and  that  they  were  of  the  same  lineage 
as  the  Daubeneys,  still  to  be  heard  of  there.  This,  however,  is  only  a 
tradition."  He  does  not  seem  to  have  made  anything  of  his  connection 
with  the  Huguenots.  One  thing  not  generally  known  may  be  mentioned 
of  the  Dabneys  in  Virginia :  There  were  Dabneys  in  Virginia  prior  to 
1715,  when  John  and  Cornelius  d'Aubigne  are  supposed  to  have  come. 
In  the  books  of  patents,  grants  and  surveys,  kept  in  the  Capitol  in 
Richmond,  Va.,  may  be  seen  grants  as  follows:  one  to  Cornelius  de 
Bonis,  de  Boney,  or  de  Baney,  of  200  acres  in  New  Kent  county,  on 
September  27,  1664;  one  to  (the  same)  Cornelius  Dabeney,  of  640 
acres,  on  Tottopotomoyes  creek,  York  river,  on  June  7,  1666;  one  in 
March,  1678,  to  the  same  Cornelius  Dabeney,  of  300  acres,  in  New 
Kent  county,  south  side  York  river,  above  Tottopotomoyes  creek ;  one 
to  James  Dabney,  in  1701,  of  204  acres,  in  King  and  Queen  county, 
north  of  the  Pamunkey  river,  and  within  St.  John's  parish ;  one  to 
George  Dabney,  in  the  same  year  of  our  Lord.  1701,  of  293  acres,  also 
in  St.  John's  parioh,  in  King  and  Queen  county;  one  to  Sarah  Dabney, 
sister  to  James  Dabney,  just  mentioned,  and  perhaps  to  George,  on 
April  25,  1701,  of  179  acres,  lying  also  on  the  Pamunkey  river,  in  King 
and  Queen  county :  and  one  to  James  Dabney,  in  the  year  1704,  of  1,000 
acres  in  Pamunkey  Neck,  in  King  and  Queen  county,  and  among  the 
branches  of  Mahixon  creek. 

Now,  how  related  these  seventeenth  century  Dabneys  were  to  John 
and  Cornelius  d'Aubigne,  to  whom  modern  Dabneys  point  as  their 
ancestors ;  whether  these  earlier  Dabneys  left  any  descendants ;  whether 
the  George  Dabney  just  named  as  having  received  a  grant  in  1701  of 
land  on  the  Pamunkey,  in  King  and  Queen,  is  the  same  with  "Capt. 
George  Dabney.  of  King  William  county,"  who  received  a  grant  of  400 
acres  of  land  "lying  and  being  on  both  sides  of  Cub  creek,  in  Hanover 
county,"  in  the  year  1724,  which  does  not  seem  improbable,  since  King 


4  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney, 

The  Dabney  family  in  Virginia  is  supposed  to  fall  into  three 
classes,  viz. :  .First,  that  constituted  of  descendants  from  the 
elder  brother,  John  d'Aubigne ;  second,  that  of  the  descendants 
from  George  Dabney,  the  Englishman,  as  he  is  sometimes 
called,  the  son  of  Cornelius  d'Aubigne  by  his  first  wife,  born  in 
England,  and  already  grown  to  manhood  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  Virginia,  and  third,  that  of  the  descendants  of 
Cornelius  d'Aubigne  and  his  second  wife  (previously  his  house- 
keeper), Sarah  Jennings,  or  Jennens. 

Robert  Lewis  Dabney  was  of  the  line  of  George  Dabney,  son 
of  Cornelius  and  his  first  wife. 

Of  Cornelius  Dabney,  the  first  of  this  line,  wc  know  but  little, 
save  that  he  was  recently  from  England  in  172 1 ;  that  his  wife 
having  died,  he  married  Sarah  Jennings,  or  Jennens,  and  that 
he  thus  gave  great  offence  to  George,  the  son  by  his  first  wife.^ 

George  Dabney,  the  son  of  Cornelius,  was  born  in  England 
or  Wales,  and  seems  to  have  been  grown  to  man's  estate  when 
he  came  to  this  country.  He  married  in  this  country  soon  after 
coming,  and  before  his  father  had  made  his  marriage  with 
Sarah  Jennings.  He  lived  till  after  the  beginning  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  though  he  was  at  that  time  an  old  man.  He  had 
at  least  two  sons  and  several  daughters. 

William  Dabney,  one  of  these  sons,  was  born  between  1725 
and  1730,  probably.  He  married  a  Miss  Barrett,  a  daughter  of 
a  "Rev.  Mr.  Barrett,  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  William  and 
Mary  College."  His  property  lay  in  the  upper  part  of  Hanover 
and  the  lower  part  of  Louisa  counties."*  He  must  have  been  a 
man  of  fine  business  capacity  and  staunch  integrity,  for  he  was 
made,  by  the  will  of  William  Morris,  the  elder,  the  trustee  of 
the  estates  devised  by  that  will  to  the  children  of  Sylvanus 
Morris,  an  office  of  great  responsibility.  His  choice  to  this 
position  clearly  shows  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by 
Mr.  Morris,  who  gave  evidence  of  being  himself  a  sagacious 
business  man.  That  he  was  not  mistaken  as  to  the  character  of 
Col.  Dabney  is  evidenced  by  the  satisfaction  evinced  through- 
out their  lives  by  the  devisees  to  these  estates,  of  which  there 


William,  with  the  Pamunkey  basin,  had  been  cut  off  from  King  and 
Queen  in  the  latter  part  of  1701 ;  or  whether  this  "Capt.  George  Dabney, 
of  King  William,"  was  the  son  of  Cornelius  d'Aubigne — all  these  ques- 
tions must  be  settled  by  the  genealogists  of  the  Dabneys. 
"  The  Dabneys  of  Virgiuiaj  pp.  93,  94.  ■*  Ibid,  p.  102. 


Parentage  and  Birth,  5 

is  record.  The  general  and  commanding  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held  as  a  man  on  whose  word  all  reliance  might  be  placed 
might  be  illustrated  at  length.^ 

Col.  William  Dabney  and  his  wife  were  both  dead  before  the 
Revolutionary  War  commenced,  although  his  father  was  still 
living.  Their  offspring  were  six  children,  viz.,  George,  Charles, 
Samuel,  Robert,  Elizabeth  and  Susannah. 

The  greatest  of  these  children  was  Charles,  the  second  son. 
He  developed  into  a  very  remarkable,  man,  and  as  he  never 
married,  he  was  free  to  give  himself  without  reserve  to  his 
country  in  the  emergencies  of  his  age.  "In  his  early  youth  he 
marched  from  Hanover  in  that  gallant  band,  which,  in  the 
commencement  of  our  troubles,  extorted  from  the  reluctant 
Dunmore  the  surrender  of  the  public  powder,  which  that  arbi- 
trary governor  had  removed  from  the  magazine  at  Williams- 
burg, with  the  view  of  depriving  the  insurgent  colonists  of  the 
means  of  resisting  his  tyranny." 

The  same  patriotic  enthusiasm  which  prompted  Col.  Dabney 
in  the  enterprise  just  alluded  to  "impelled  him  soon  afterwards 
into  our  Revolutionary  struggle."  He  was  appointed  a  captain 
in  the  Virginia  line,  not  long"  after  the  commencement  of  the 
war,  and  was  ultimately  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the 
same  service.  After  remaining  with  his  command  one  or  two 
years  in  his  native  State,  where,  to  his  great  chagrin,  no  mili- 
tary operations  imposed  on  him  any  active  service,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Northern  army  shortly  before  the  battle  of 
Monmouth.    He  was  present  at  that  indecisive  action. 

"Col.  Dabney  continued  to  share  the  fortunes  of  the  Northern  army 
until  that  glorious  consummation  of  their  trials,  the  capitulation  of 
Yorktown.  He  took  part  under  the  command  of  General  Wayne,  in 
that  brilliant  exploit,  the  storming  of  Stony  Point,  one  of  the  most 
daring  and  hazardous  enterprises  undertaken  during  the  war."  He  bore 
a  somewhat  conspicuous  part  in  the  seige  of  Yorktown.  After  the 
surrender  of  Cornwallis,  "the  American  army  was  broken  into  detach- 
ments and  distributed  in  dififerent  parts  of  the  country.  Col.  Dabney 
was  stationed  at  Hampton,  and  was  charged  with  the  command  of 
the  Virginia  line,  which  command  he  continued  to  hold  until  shortly 
before  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  when  the  troops-  were 
disbanded  by  the  order  of  the  Governor,  and  then  returned  home 
after  having  toiled  and  suffered  for  seven  eventful  years  in  the  public 
cause. 

'See  the  John  Blair  Dabney  Manuscript  (as  before),  pp.  11,  12. 


6  Life  and  Letters  of  Roukkt  Lewis  Dap.xey. 

"Though  he  took  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  had  very 
decided  opinions,  politically,  he  was  never  known  to  seek  advancement, 
and  scrupulously  shunned  the  broils,  the  intrigues  and  the  debasing 
scenes  which  disgraced  our  popular  elections.  He  was  prompt  to  obey 
the  call  of  duty  in  the  crisis  of  his  countrj^'s  peril,  but  he  never  coveted 
distinction  in  the  halcyon  days  of  peace.  He  disdained  to  court  public 
favor,  either  for  the  gratification  of  personal  vanity  or  the  promotion 
of  his  private  interests.     .     .    . 

"Prior  to  the  Revolution  the  means  of  intellectual  cultivation  were 
scanty  in  this  country,  and  none  of  our  citizens,  except  those  whose 
abundant  resources  enabled  them  to  visit  the  literary  institutions  of  the 
old  world,  could  aspire  to  the  reputation  of  finished  scholars.  In  point 
of  education,  he,  like  most  of  his  contemporaries,  enjoyed  very 
moderate  advantages,  but  his  natural  understanding  was  excellent,  and 
he  enriched  his  mind  with  a  large  stock  of  valuable  knowledge,  derived 
from  his  own  observation  and  intercourse  with  intelligent  men.  His 
opinions  on  all  subjects  indicated  sound  practical  sense,  and  as  his  moral 
perceptions  were  unperverted  by  any  vicious  habits,  his  judgments  in 
matters  of  conscience  were  rarely  erroneous ;  hence,  he  was  frequently 
consulted  as  an  impartial  and  enlightened  adviser  on  questions  of  right 
and  expediency,  not  only  by  his  own  relations,  but  by  his  acquaintances 
generally.  His  counsels  were  always  freely  and  kindly  given,  and  uni- 
formly pointed  to  the  path  of  duty  and  honor.  Those  who  acted  on 
his  instructions  never  had  any  reason  to  repent  compliance  therewith, 
for  they  were  equally  prudent  and  sagacious,  evincing  alike  upright 
principles  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  human  nature. 

"That  Colonel  Dabney's  natural  capacity  was  of  a  high  order,  and 
would  have  made  him  conspicuous  in  any  sphere  where  he  chose  to 
exert  it,  must  have  been  obvious  to  all  who  had  the  honor  of  his 
acquaintance;  but  I  prefer  to  dwell  upon  those  moral  excellences,  those 
admirable  qualities  of  heart  and  disposition  which  reflect  the  brightest 
and  purest  lustre  on  his  well-spent  life.  He  was  the  most  generous 
and  charitable  of  men  ;  in  his  personal  habits  he  was  economical  almost 
to  parsimony,  but  this  extreme  frugality  was  practiced  by  him  on 
principle,  and  not  from  any  love  of  filthy  lucre.  He  saved  that  he 
might  have  wherewithal  to  give,  and  I  hazard  little  in  affirming  that 
during  his  long  life  he  gave  more  money  than  any  man  in  Virginia 
of  much  larger  resources.  His  brothers,  sisters,  nephews  and  nieces 
were  the  constant  subjects  of  his  liberality,  and  he  annually  supplied 
many  of  his  poor  neighbors  with  the  necessaries  of  life,  but  there  was 
nothing  ostentatious  in  this  perennial  stream  of  benevolence ;  so  far  from 
vaunting  his  good  deeds,  he  was  never  known  to  allude  to  them.  .  .  . 
His  benefactions  were  not  only  hidden  from  the  public  eye.  but  were 
administered  with  the  most  refined  delicacy,  so  that  he  miglit  produce 
no  painful  mortification  in  the  effects  of  his  bounty. 

"No  man  was  ever  more  sincerely  and  unaffectedly  pious  than   Col. 


Parentage  and  Birth.  7 

Dabney.  His  religion,  while  it  pervaded  his  whole  life  and  conversation, 
had  no  tincture  of  sourness  or  austerity.  Though  an  Episcopalian  from 
education  and  early  predilection,  his  Catholic  spirit  embraced  in  the 
circle  of  brotherly  love  every  denomination  of  sincere  Christians.  He 
was  careless  about  forms,  where  he  found  the  essentials  of  religion, 
and  no  word  of  censure  or  derision  was  ever  heard  to  pass  his  lips  to 
the  prejudice  of  any  devout  association  of  men  who  held  their  faith 
in  the  purity  of  life;  yet  for  cant,  hypocrisy  or  bigotry,  wherever  mani- 
fested, he  had  no  toleration.  In  his  devotion  he  was  uniformly  regular, 
without  being  obtrusive ;  he  made  no  ostentatious  parade  of  his  piety, 
although  it  breathed  unconsciously  in  every  act  of  his  life,  and  dif- 
fused an  odor  of  sanctity,  a  celestial  benignity  through  his  whole  char- 
acter. Such  is  the  faint  outline  of  his  moral  qualities.  In  stature,  he 
was  upward  of  six  feet,  with  a  body  straight  and  athletic,  and  well- 
proportioned.  His  carriage  was  dignified  and  commanding,  and  his 
gait  slow  and  measured,  like  that  of  a  soldier  on  parade,  a  remnant 
ol  his  military  habits.  Accustomed  from  his  youth  to  active  pursuits 
and  violent  exercise,  enured  to  hardship  and  exposure  by  the  rough 
trade  of  war  and  hunting,  to  which  he  was  passionately  addicted,  tem- 
perate and  regular  in  his  habits,  his  physical  powers  attained  uncommon 
vigor,  and  secured  to  his  declining  years  a  remarkable  exemption  from 
the  infirmities  of  old  age.  His  visage  was  massive  and  well  defined, 
with  a  serene  expression,  betokening  sound  sense,  firmness  and  benevo- 
lence. There  was  something  in  his  whole  appearance  which  deterred 
the  most  thoughtless  and  audacious  from  venturing  on  too  familiar 
approach  to  so  imposing  a  personage,  and  yet  his  deportment  was  so 
liearty  and  cordial  and  unaffected  that  no  one,  young  or  old.  felt  any 
■disagreeable  constraint  in  his  presence.  .  .  .  He  died  about  the  year 
1830,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years,  at  his  house,  in  the 
county  of  Hanover,  in  which  his  father  had  lived."  " 

This  man  may  be  considered  to  be  a  good  type  of  the  Dabneys 
of  his  generation.  In  the  portraiture  given  of  him  may  be  seen 
many  of  the  features  of  his  great-nephew,  Robert  Lewis  Dab- 
ney; and  it  is  clear,  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Dabney,  dated 
April  I,  1852,  to  Robert  L..  that  each  of  these  brothers  thought 
much  about  their  father's  uncle.  Col.  Charles,  agitated  the 
subject  of  writing  his  life,  and  entertained  for  his  memory 
extraordinary  veneration. 

"  This  account  of  Col.  Charles  Dabney  is  given  in  the  words  of  the 
John  Blair  Dabney  Manuscript,  as  far  as  possible.  See  Dr.  Charles  W. 
Dabney's  copy,  pp.  15-54.  His  account  carries  its  own  evidences  of 
being  just.  A  reduction  of  it  is  found  in  the  Dabneys  of  Virginia, 
pp.  1 18-123. 


8  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Samuel  Dabney,  the  third  son  of  Col.  William  Dabney,  and 
a  brother  of  Col.  Charles  Dabney,  resided  in  Louisa  county,  Va> 
His  wife,  Miss  Jane  Meriwether,  of  Albemarle  county,  Va.,. 
was  an  aunt  of  Capt.  Meriwether  Lewis,  who,  with  Col.  Clark, 
conducted  the  expedition  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River 
in  the  years  1804  to  1806.  Samuel  Dabney  seems  to  have  been 
an  honorable  and  upright  man,  but  too  fond  of  hunting  and 
sports,  and  of  court-house  company,  and  to  have  been  a  poor 
man  of  business.  There  is  ground  for  supposing  that  he  alscv 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  His  wife,  Jane  Meri- 
wether, was  a  woman  of  extraordinary  character,  for  whom 
her  children  and  grandchildren,  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  amongst 
them,  entertained  profound  respect.  To  Samuel  Dabney  and 
his  wife,  Jane  Meriwether,  were  born  thirteen  children. 
Amongst  these  were  Samuel  (who  became  a  doctor),  Charles, 
Francis  (who  became  a  lawyer),  William,  Richard,  Robert, 
Edmund,  George  (who  served  as  an  officer  in  the  war  of  1812), 
John,  Elizabeth,  Mildred,  and  Mary  Jane. 

Mr.  Samuel  Dabney  had  died  while  these  children  were 
young;  his  estate  was  not  large,  and  his  widow  had  much 
difficulty  in  maintaining  her  numerous  family ;  but  she  re- 
ceived generous  assistance  in  the  effort  from  Col.  Charles. 
Dabney. 

The  sixth  of  these  sons  of  Mr.  Samuel  Dabney,  Richard,  was 
a  poet  and  a  man  of  genius.  He  was  possessed  of  extraordinary 
acquisitive  powers  in  language  and  literature,  and  in  his  earlier 
years  gave  promise  of  powerful  work  as  a  writer;  but  he  fell 
into  dissolute  habits,  wasted  his  later  years,  and  died  unmarried 
before  reaching  forty. '^ 

The  third  son  was  Charles  Dabney,  Jr.,  who  became  the 
father  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney.  "He  resided  many  years  with 
his  uncle  Charles  (Col.  Charles  Dabney),  assisting  him  in  the 
management  of  his  estates.  When  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Price,  in  1808,  he  left  his  uncle's  house,"  and  established  him- 
self at  his  "mill-place"  on  the  South  Anna  River,  in  Louisa 
county,  Va.^     He  subsequently  removed  to  his  farm  on  Cub 

^The  reader  will  find  a  sketch  of  Richard  Dabney  in  Duyckink's. 
Cyclopadia  of  American  Literature,  and  also  an  estimate  of  his  work. 
His  volume  was  entitled  Poems,  Original  and  Translated. 

'  "This  'mill-place,' "  says  Mr.  S.  B.  Dabney,  of  Victoria,  Texas, 
"was  a  plantation  on  which  certain  mills  were  situated.  As  I  recollect 
it,  there  were  two  mills — a  saw-mill  on  one  side  of  the  river,  and  the 


Parentage  and  Birth.  9 

Creek,  his  father's  home  place,  and  there  Hved,  till  his  death, 
the  usual  life  of  a  Virginia  planter  of  moderate  means,  super- 
intending in  person  the  usual  operations  of  the  farm,  and  when 
necessary  putting  his  hand  to  manual  labor. 

''Col.  Charles  ^Dabney,  at  his  death,  made  him  his  residuary 
legatee.  ...  No  man  was  ever  more  worthy  of  the  gifts  of 
fortune,  for  he  had  excellent  sense  and  most  amiable  manners, 
was  irreproachable  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  and  of  unquestion- 
able integrity.  Possessed  of  such  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart,  he  was  the  idol  of  his  own  family,  and  universally 
respected  of  all  his  acquaintances.  He  was  indeed  a  worthy 
successor  to  his  most  excellent  uncle."  ^ 

He  is  reputed  to  have  been  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first 
man,  in  his  county  in  his  day.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812. 
in  post  duty  on  the  Virginia  coast.  He  was  thereafter  Colonel 
of  the  Militia  of  Louisa  County,  and  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature at  a  time  when  this  office  was  still  usually  given  to  the 
leading  men  of  the  country.  This  office  he  never  filled,  as  he 
"died  soou  after  his  election.  He  had  sat  as  a  magistrate  and 
member  of  the  county  court.    The  office  was  not  a  paid  one  at 

flour  and  corn-mill  on  the  other  side,  the  same  dam  serving  both.  The 
homestead  was  entirely  removed  from  the  mills.  I  have  been  there 
when  a  child,  when  the  plac-  was  occupied  by  my  Aunt  Ann  (Mrs. 
G.  Woodson  Payne).  It  was  a  plain,  old-fashioned  house,  with  a  large 
yard,  sloping  down  to  the  public  road."  Dr.  Charles  W.  Dabney,  of 
Knoxville,  Tenn.,  adds :  "My  father  loaned  his  sister  Anne  the  money 
to  rebuild  the  old  mill,  about  twenty  years  ago,  and  took  very  great 
interest  in  planning  and  directing  the  work.  Modern  machinery  and 
methods  for  milling  corn  and  wheat  were  introduced,  but  the  country 
was  rapidly  deserted,  and  the  mill  proved  largely  a  failure." 

'See  pp.  55,  56,  John  Blair  Dabney  Manuscript,  as  copied  under 
supervision  of  Charles  W.  Dabney.  See,  also,  The  Dabneys  of  Virginia, 
p.  128.  Robert  L.  Dabney  was  wont  to  dwell  much  on  his  fathers 
sweetness  of  disposition.  As  illustrative  of  this,  he  used  to  recall  having 
seen  his  father  much  depressed  because  of  having  been  compelled  to 
punish  one  of  his  negroes.  He  remembered  his  father,  also,  as  a  man 
of  firmness,  and  as  teaching  him  in  his  early  boyhood  that  if  he  under- 
took a  thing  he  must  carry  it  through.  They  were  once  walking 
together.  Robert  proposed  to  carry  a  great  load  of  lightwood  home. 
The  father  remonstrated;  but  the  little  boy  was  headstrong,  and  per- 
sisted in  carrying  a  burdensome  load,  but,  soon  getting  tired,  threw  it 
down.  Then  the  father  said,  "You  undertook  to  carry  it  home,  and 
now  you  must  do  what  you  undertook." 


lo  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

the  time.  It  was  one  of  honor.  He  was  a  ruUng  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  a  representative  of  his  Presby- 
tery, West  Hanover,  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  in  the  LInited  States  of  America^,  sitting  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1832.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  amongst  the 
novelties  which  engaged  his  attentive  observation,  while  in 
Philadelphia  on  this  occasion,  were  the  arrangements  for  dis- 
tributing water  over  the  city  by  means  of  pipes  leading  from 
a  common  source  of  supply.  He  was  not  only  an  intelligent  and 
honored  officer,  but  carried  his  religion  into  his  daily  life. 
Robert  L.  Dabney  writes  on  the  8th  of  February,  1885,  to  his 
son.  Dr.  Charles  W.  Dabney,  of  his  parents'  religious  life  as 
follows : 

"When  I  recall  what  the  position  of  Christian  meant,  as  occupied, 
for  instance,  by  my  parents,  it  seems  to  me  as  if  that  type  of  Chris- 
tianity must  have  been  in  another  sphere,  and  before  the  fall  of  man 
almost!  With  what  careful  seriousness,  self-examination  and  prayer 
did  they  take  their  religious  vows !  How  regular,  deliberate  and  solemn 
were  family  prayers  !  How  did  the  scriptural  instruction  of  us  children 
take  the  precedence  of  all  the  day,  and  of  all  other  duties,  lessons  and 
amusements.  How  sacredly  was  the  Sabbath  improved !  My  father 
went  about  making  the  best  of  the  sacred  day  just  as  seriously  and 
systematically  as  any  wise  business  man  planning  to  put  in  the  best 
work  possible  on  some  favorable  day  in  the  middle  of  harvest.  He 
evidently  acted  on  this  clear,  rational  and  conscientious  conviction,  'I 
have  a  great  and  urgent  work  to  do  for  my  own  soul  and  others' ;  the 
one  day  in  seven  which  a  kind  Heavenly  Father  has  endeavored  to 
secure  for  me,  for  this  task,  is  none  too  much,  if  improved  to  the  best. 
So  I  must  make  the  most  of  it.'  I  well  remember  his  deliberate  and 
careful  preparation  of  himself  in  advance  of  communion  days.  It 
began  about  Friday,  by  reducing  his  concern  with  farm  matters  to  a 
uiiiiiiiiurii;  spending  the  most  of  the  two  week-days  in  a  private  room, 
shut  up  with  his  Bible,  Flavel's  Sacramental  Meditations,  and  such  like 
books.  One  may  know  well  hozv  much  the  Lord's  Supper  meant  to  him, 
and  what  impulse  and  nourishment  it  was  to  his  soul. 

"So,  for  young  Christians  to  presume  to  get  on  in  a  religious  pro- 
fession without  a  strict  punctuality  in  private  Bible-reading  and  prayer, 
and,  in  addition,  in  stated  seasons  of  self-examination,  'taking  stock,' 
so  to  speak,  of  their  religious  principles  and  progress,  was  considered 
out  of  the  question,  a  neglect  so  indecent  as  to  give  reasonable  evidence 
of  coming  apostasy. 

"Which  standard  of  Christian  living  does  my  father  now  think 
the  right  one,  in  the  light  of  eternity?  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the 
answer  to  that." 


Parentage  and  Birth.  ii 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1833,  Mr.  Dabney  was  taken 
with  a  violent,  inflammatory  congestive  fever,  which  did  its 
work  in  about  a  week.  In  the  prime  of  life,  being  in  the  forty- 
ninth  year  of  his  age,  he  died  on  the  6th  of  September.  In  his 
high  character  he  left  a  noble  inheritance,  for  the  proper  use  of 
which  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  was  responsible ;  nor  did  he 
receive  such  an  inheritance  from  his  father  alone.  Mr.  Charles 
Dabney  had  married,  as  we  have  seen.  Miss  Elizabeth  Price. 
She  was  a  woman  of  fine  mind  and  character,  and  of  gracious 
and  pleasing  manners. 

Mr.  John  Blair  Dabney  says  of  his  grandmother,  Elizabeth 
Price,  who  was  the  wife  of  George  Dabney,  brother  of  Col. 
Charles  Dabney,  that  she  was  the  "daughter  of  a  Miss  Ran- 
dolph, one  of  the  numerous  and  distinguished  family  of  that 
name";  that  the  father  of  this  Elizabeth  IVice  was  "a  carpen- 
ter" ;  that  the  marriage  of  one  of  their  race  with  a  mechanic 
inflicted  a  deep  wound  on  the  pride  of  the  Randolphs,  who 
claimed  to  rank  among  the  aristocracy" ;  that  "the  true  secret 
of  this  unequal  wedlock  .  .  .  was  that  the  gentleman  was 
handsome,  and  the  lady  not  very  richly  endowed  with  personal 
attractions"  ;  but  that  whatever  his  occupation  was,  "the  alliance 
reflected  no  discredit  on  Miss  Randolph's  taste  and  judgment, 
and  proved  more  fruitful  of  happiness  in  the  end  than  a  more 
ambitious  connection."  ^° 

Amongst  the  children  of  this  marriage  of  choice  was  Thomas 

'"  Charles  W.  Dabney's  copy  of  the  John  Blair  Dabney  Manuscript, 
pp.  86,  87.  Dr.  Robert  L.  Dabney's  version  of  this  story  was  that  John 
Price  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor,  who  had  been  employed  to  work 
on  the  Randolph  homestead ;  that  he  was  genteel  in  behavior,  and  was 
invited  into  the  house  and  to  the  family  table,  whereupon  he  fell  in 
love  with  Elizabeth  Randolph.  They  ran  off  and  were  married.  The 
old  Randolph  father  disinherited  his  daughter.  But  Price  was  a  good 
man  and  prospered ;  he  became  well-to-do.  These  Randolphs  of  Wilton, 
above  Richmond,  were  fast  people ;  the  men  raced  horses  and  hunted 
foxes,  and  ran  through  their  property.  In  their  old  age  the  old  Ran- 
dolph parents  became  reconciled  to  their  Price  daughter,  and  came  to 
live  and  die  in  John  Price's  comfortable  home,  their  other  children 
being  less  able  to  care  for  them.  Dr.  Charles  W.  Dabney,  of  Knoxville, 
says  his  father  "used  to  tell  this  story  with  much  glee  whenever  people 
got  to  bragging  of  their  aristocratic  ancestry,  and  yet  no  one  was 
prouder  than  he  of  his  worthy  ancestors."  It  may  be  further  remarked 
here  that  Dr.  Dabney  seemed  to  take  special  pleasure  in  having  the  stock 
of  John  Price  and  of  the  Meriwethers  in  him. 


12  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Price,  who  came  to  be  known  as  Capt.  Thomas  Price,  of  Cool 
Water.  In  his  youth  he  marched  with  the  volunteers  from 
Hanover  to  recover  the  powder  from  Dunmore.  In  the  course 
of  his  life,  he  accumulated,  by  his  energy  and  industry,  a  con- 
siderable estate.  "He  was  generally  esteemed  by  his  acquaint- 
ances as  a  man  honorable  in  his  dealings  and  judicious  in  the 
management  of  his  affairs."  He  was  a  friend  of  John  Marshall, 
and  named  a  son  after  him.  He  married  Miss  Barbara  Win- 
ston, and  from  this  union  came  numerous  children.  The  child 
of  Capt.  Thomas  Price  and  Miss  Barbara  Winston  with  whom 
we  are  most  concerned  was  Elizabeth  Price,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Clmrles  Dabney.  Her  distinguished  son  has  him- 
self described  her  in  describing  a  Virginia  Matron.  She  was 
first  of  all  a  Christian  matron,  whose  hidden  devotional  life  was 
beautifully  reflected  in  her  daily  walk  and  conversation.  "In 
her  was  seen,  more  than  heard,  the  cheerful,  gentle  Christian. 
She  was  probably  less  conscious  than  any  of  her  household  or 
visitors,  of  the  influence  that  all  felt  and  so  highly  prized."  She 
was  a  lady  of  unusual  native  refinement,  of  a  sweet  and  noble, 
unaffected  and  dignified  grace  of  manner.  She  had  read  ami 
conversed  much  and  to  good  purpose.  She  was  also  a  careful, 
industrious,  and  successful  housekeeper,  and  head  of  a  family. 
In  a  word,  she  was  a  fit  consort  for  her  husband,  and  a  worthy 
mother  to  all  her  children.  This  will  be  made  abundantly  clear 
in  the  course  of  this  work. 

The  oldest  son  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth  Dabney  was  Charles 
William.  He  was  proud  of  the  name  Charles,  the  name  of  his 
beloved  father  and  of  his  much-admired  great  uncle,  but  he  is 
commonly  spoken  of  by  his  friends  as  Mr.  William  Dabney.  of 
Hanover,  to  distinguish  him  from  the  many  Charles  William 
Dabneys  in  the  several  branches  of  the  Dabneys.  He  was  a 
man  of  rare  gifts  for  conversation  and  with  the  pen,  he  was  a 
much-respected  lawyer  in  his  time,  and  a  scientific  and  success- 
ful planter  in  the  ante  helium  days.  This  brother  exerted  a 
large,  generous  and  wholesome  influence  on  Robert  Lewis 
Dabney.  His  own  character  is  indicated,  in  part,  by  advice 
which  he  gave  his  brc  ther  Robert,  by  letter,  dated  June  5,  183^). 
He  writes : 

"I  have  seen  your  letters.  I  like  the  style  in  which  you  write,  but 
would  venture  to  suggest  (if  you  will  receive  such  a  suggestion  from 
the  writer  of  this  scrawl)  that  you  endeavor  to  acquire  a  more  graceful 
and  easy  handwriting.     You  write  from  the  promptings  of  your  heart. 


Parentage  and  Birth.  13 

That  is  the  way  to  write,  to  act  and  to  behave.  Take  care  that  your 
judgment  is  well  informed,  that  is,  that  you  know  truly  the  circum- 
stances in  which  you  stand,  and  then  act  from  the  plain  and  unsophisti- 
cated dictates  of  your  mind  and  your  heart.  Half  the  ridiculous  and 
contemptible  acts  in  the  world,  and  all  the  ridiculous  behavior  almost, 
arises  from  the  sole  disposition  to  appear  different  from  what  we  really 
are.  I  would  also  suggest,  in  relation  to  your  letters,  that  you  give  us 
an  honest  foolscap,  as  I  have  done,  in  which  you  can  set  down  your 
sentiments,  your  observations,  your  course  of  study  and  reading,  your 
college  adventures,  and  any  other  matter  deemed  pertinent  by  yourself. 
You  have  much  t^o  perform.  You  have  a  mind  to  enlarge  and  adorn, 
a  heart  to  expand  and  purify,  and  a  person  and  manners  to  improve 
and  beautify.  These  duties  will  admit  of  no  waste  of  time.  Your  whole 
time  should  be  devoted  to  the  one  or  the  other  of  these  objects,  and 
any  impediment  that  may  stand  in  the  way  of  your  progress  must  be 
boldly  and  determinedly  disregarded." 

He  was  one  of  the  ptirest  and  noblest  of  men,  and  for  years 
(.xerted  a  moulding  influence  on  Robert,  between  whom  and 
himself  life-long  devotion  existed.  The  second  child,  Mary 
Jane,  married  Mv.  P.  Johnson. 

The  third  child,  Ann  Eliza,  married  Mr.  G.  Woodson  Payne. 
She  was  a  very  bright  and  vivacious  lady  to  the  end  of  her 
days.  Robert  Lewis  was  the  next  child.  Then  came  George 
Francis.  He  dropped  his  first  name,  and  is  known  generally 
as  Francis.  He  suffered  from  an  impediment  in  his  speech,  but 
"his  perceptions  were  quick  and  oftentimes  humorous,  and  his 
conversation,  which  was  brief  and  pithy,  and  occasionally  satiri- 
cal, reflected  the  original  turn  of  his  mind,  and  made  him  a  very 
interesting  companion." 

The  manners  of  the  youngest  daughter  "Betty"  were  pecu- 
liarly.gentle  and  attractive.  She  was  candid  and  unaffected. 
Her  intellect  was  of  a  high  order.  She  became  learned  for  her 
years,  and  proficient  in  solid  accomplishments,  but  died  early. 

The  whole  family  was  closely  knit  in  affection.  Peculiarly 
strong  tics  existed  between  Robert  and  his  mother,  between 
him  and  his  brother  William,  and  between  him  and  his  sister 
Betty.  He  served  them  well,  and  received  from  them  that 
helpful  and  sympathetic  appreciation  which  is  at  once  the 
strongest  incentive,  and  aid  to  noble  endeavor,  that  can  be  given 
to  a  generous  and  aspiring,  but  modest  youth. 

He  was  not  only  sprung  from  a  pure  and  noble  stock,  and 
thus  weighted  with  responsibility,  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  was 
the  product  of  a  phase  of  our  Southern  civilization  peculiarly 


14  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dacnev. 

fitted  for  the  development  of  many-sided  and  great  men.  Many 
forces  g"o  into  the  making  of  a  great  man  besides  those  coming 
through  his  own  ancestral  Hnes.  One  of  the  greatest  of  these 
is  the  pecuhar  civilization  amidst  which  he  is  born  and  grows 
up.  It  was  no  accident  that  Washington  was  the  preeminent 
man  of  Revolutionary  times  in  military  talent,  nor  that  the 
Colony  of  Virginia  furnished  so  many  of  the  civil  leaders  of 
distinguished  prowess  in  the  same  period ;  nor  was  it  an  acci- 
dent that  \^irginia  furnished  the  three  military  men  of  the  first 
rank  during  the  war  between  the  sections.  Lee,  Jackson  and 
Thomas  grew  up  in  an  environment  which  was  favorable  to 
their  highest  development.  LTlrich  Zwingli  could  only  have 
been  produced  amidst  some  such  scenes  and  civilization  as 
obtained  in  the  Swiss  cantons  in  his  day.  Martin  Luther  must 
needs  have  been  born  and  brought  up  in  the  middle  Germany 
of  his  age,  else  he  had  been  somewhat  different  from  what  he 
was,  with  the  strength  of  the  north  and  the  poetry  of  the 
Swabian  hills  in  his  blood.  Similarly  Robert  Lewis  Dabney 
could  hardly  have  been  made  save  in  the  best  Virginia  society 
of  old  Louisa  county.  That  was  a  society  dominated  by  plain, 
homespun  gentlemen  and  ladies,  living  in  modest  Iiomes,  uncor- 
rupted  by  wealth,  marked  for  their  hospitality,  for  their  stress 
on  kinship,  and  for  the  intelligent  and  kindly  direction  of  and 
care  over  the  dependent  class ;  marked  for  its  truly  aristocratic 
type  of  representative  government,  and  for  its  high  spirit,  and 
keen  sense  of  honor ;  rarely  educated  in  the  essentials,  and 
religiously  trained — marked,  too,  for  its  fidelity  to  conviction  in 
matters  of  principle. 

If  we  look  at  the  white  population  of  Louisa  county  in  1820, 
we  shall  see  that,  like  the  population  of  the  rest  of  Eastern 
Virginia,  it  is  homogeneous ;  that  it  is  of  English  origin  for  the 
most  part.  Into  the  Colony  of  Virginia  Englishmen  had  poured 
from  the  South  of  the  island.  Some  of  these  had  been  of  the 
gentry  in  England,  some  of  them  of  the  yeomanry,  and  a  few 
had  been  convicts.  "A  few  Scotch  merchants,  and  a  consider- 
able number  of  Huguenot  families,  widely  scattered,  enlivened 
the  English  stock."  Naturally  English  ideals  held  sway.  The 
organization  of  the  colony,  as  afterwards  of  the  State,  was 
aristocratic.  The  scions  of  the  English  gentry  developed  into 
gentry  of  Virginia.  Nor  can  it  be  doubted  that  ver}'  many  of 
the  best  families  of  Virginia  sprang  from  the  ancient  yeomanry 
that  had  come  over  from  Southern  England,  where  their  free- 


Parentage  and  Birth.  15 

holds  were  being  absorbed  by  the  greater  landholders,  and 
"from  merchants,  middle-class  men,  and  mechanics,  who  rise 
so  rapidly  in  a  new  country."  The  Huguenots,  who  were 
generally  of  the  middle  class,  tended  everywhere  to  the  top. 
Socially  beneath  this  class,  but  often  climbing  up  into  it,  w^as  a 
large  population  of  freeholders  often  owning  a  few  slaves, 
"well-to-do  farmers,"  overseers,  and  mechanics,  who  had,  in  the 
little  county-seats  and  villages,  cabinet  and  carriage-making 
establishments  and  wood-working  shops,  or  shops  for  iron- 
working  of  a  size  and  importance  now  no  longer  to  be  found  in 
rural  communities,  owing  to  the  increase  of  machine-made 
articles,  and  the  means  for  their  distribution.  These  artisans 
were  numerous,  for  the  society  was  living  as  yet  largely  on  its 
own  local  productions.  There  was,  also,  a  much  poorer  white 
population  on  the  very  thin  lands.  Here  and  there  these  con- 
stituted their  own  neighborhoods.  In  some  cases  these  people 
were  the  descendants  of  redemptioners,  or  of  convicts  who  had 
been  transported  to  the  colony.  Finally,  there  was  the  very 
large  population  of  negro  slaves,  who  had  been  inflicted  upon 
\'irginia  by  the  slave-trading  interests  of  New  England  and 
the  extreme  Southern  States  until  1808.  Amongst  these  slaves 
were  also  social  grades. 

The  dominating  class  in  the  society  was  that  composed  of  the 
gentry.  A  few  of  them  were  rich,  and  lived  lavishly  in  barn- 
like mansions ;  but  the  majority  of  them  were  of  moderate 
means,  and  lived  in  houses  of  modest  comfort.  The  traveller  on 
the  public  highways  in  old  Louisa  county,  between  1820  and 
1840.  saw.  at  intervals  of  a  mile  or  so.  plain  houses,  set  far  back 
from  the  public  road,  sometimes  with  long  avenues  of  trees  in 
front.  These  were  the  residences  of  the  planters.  They  were 
more  often  frame  than  brick.  Many  of  them  were  cottages,  a 
story  and  a  half,  the  upper  half  story  having  no  fire-place,  but 
supposed  to  be  good  enough  to  serve  as  sleeping-rooms  for  the 
boys  and  young  men.  Many  were  of  two  stories,  some  were 
heavy  and  square  in  plan ;  others  had  the  general  shape  of  the 
letter  '"H,"  that  is,  one  house  was  situated  beside  the  other,  and 
they  were  connected  by  a  two-storied  hallway.  The  architecture 
was  very  plain,  the  kind,  however,  that  is  now  classed  as  Colo- 
nial. The  furniture  within  the  houses  was  simple — a  solid  ma- 
hogany table  in  the  hallway,  with  a  solid  silver  water  pitcher 
thereon,  ready  with  its  cooling  contents  for  the  thirstv  guest, 
and  perhaps  a  strip  of  carpet  on  the  well-waxed  floor.     In  the 


i6  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

parlor  were  sofas  and  chairs  of  mahogany  and  horse  hair,  with 
a  "whatnot"  in  the  corner  for  the  curiosities,  and  a  family  por- 
trait or  so,  and  a  sampler  worked  by  some  ancestress  famed  for 
her  needle.  In  the  bedroom  were  rag  carpets,  or  none  at  all. 
The  furniture  in  most  constant  use  was  such  as  the  country 
mechanic  could  make  out  of  the  native  walnut,  chestnut,  cherry 
and  poplar.  Such  interiors,  to  our  more  sensuous  and  luxurious 
age,  would  appear  cold  and  uncomfortable.  Behind  the  dwell- 
ing stood  the  kitchen  with  its  broad  hearths,  ovens,  spits  and 
spiders,  its  wide-mouthed  chimney  with  crooks,  cranes  and 
swaying  kettles.  The  smoke-house  and  the  weavers'  house 
were  hard  by,  and  in  the  rear  of  these  the  cabins  of  the  servants. 
In  a  corner  of  the  front  yard  was  the  office,  where  the  planter 
kept  his  books  of  accounts,  his  fishing  and  hunting  outfit,  and 
into  which  young  men  were  crowded  when  the  house  over- 
flowed with  guests.  At  a  distance  to  the  rear,  again,  and  right 
or  left,  stood  the  stables,  barns  and  other  offices.  The  lawns 
were  neatly  kept,  were  often  large  and  studded  with  oaks  or 
locusts. 

In  Scotland,  by  the  standard  of  wealth,  these  country  gentle- 
men would  often  have  been  ranked  as  mere  "bonnet  lairds." 
Many  of  them,  with  their  sons,  on  occasion,  took  part  in  the 
toil  of  the  fields.  Col.  Charles  Dabney,  the  father  of  Robert 
Lewis,  had  two  rather  small  plantations,  his  mills,  and 
between  twenty  and  thirty  negroes.  To  supply  the  needs  of  his 
family  and  servants  from  a  poor  soil,  and  to  perform  his  multi- 
tudinous duties  to  the  public,  it  behooved  him  to  be  a  man  of 
industry  and  economy :  and  his  was  a  typical  case.  It  has  been 
very  generally  represented  that  Southern  gentlemen  in  these 
years  were  corrupted  by  wealth  and  idleness.  Whatever  may 
have  been  true  on  large  plantations  in  the  South,  and  in  excep- 
tional cases,  the  gentlemen  of  Eastern  Virginia  were  not  gen- 
erally so  corrupted.  Of  the  very  numerous  small  gentry  in 
Col.  Charles  Dabney's  county,  there  were  a  number  of  larger 
property  and  a  number  of  smaller  property  than  himself. 
Amongst  these  latter  was  the  father  of  Dr.  John  B.  Minor,  of 
Huguenot  family,  who  became  the  foremost  legal  light  in  the 
South. 

Hospitality  was  one  of  the  cardinal  virtues.  At  the 
planter's  home  any  respectable  gentleman  was  welcome,  and,  in 
the  absence  of  the  master,  mistress  and  family,  the  butler 
received  the  guest  with  the  air  of  a  quiet,  well-bred  gentleman, 


Parentage  and  Birth.  17 

and  served  him  from  cellar  and  pantry.  Never  have  any  people 
exercised  freer,  more  gracious,  or  more  charming  hospitality. 
Good  servants,  and  plenty  wherewith  to  make  comfortable  the 
guest,  stripped  entertaining  of  any  appreciable  element  of  sacri- 
fice on  the  part  of  the  host,  while  his  isolation  and  'his  desire  for 
intercourse  with  his  fellows  made  him  positively  crave  the 
presence  of  guests.  He  was  actually  obliged  by  the  sojourn  of 
any  agreeable  guest,  and  if  a  passing  traveller,  stopping  for  the 
night,  proved  to  be  a  man  of  cultivated  intelligence,  and  an 
informing  conversationalist,  his  visit  was  regarded  as  a  bene- 
faction. They  were  people  devoted  to  serious  conversation  on 
politics,  agriculture,  county  interests  and  many  other  topics.  It 
was  a  great  means  of  education,  this  conversational  debate 
hctween  strong,  intelligent  men. 

Kinship  was  also,  and  in  part  for  similar  reasons,  much  made 
of.     The  planters  longed  for  social  converse. 

This  society  was  remarkable  for  the  intelligent  and  kindly 
<levotion  to  and  care  exercised  over  the  servant  class.  Every 
plantation  at  that  time  carried  on  small  manufacturing  and 
mechanical  enterprises.  Weaving  never  stopped.  The  sounds 
of  the  spinning  wheels  and  looms  could  be  heard  throughout 
the  year.  Tanning,  blacksmithing.  and  the  simpler  kinds  of 
wood-working,  and  the  making  of  implements  were  constantly 
on  hand,  the  more  important  operations  being  directed  by  white 
mechanics,  half  journeymen,  half  foremen,  who  went  from 
plantation  to  plantation.  If  there  were  no  black  shoemaker, 
shoes  would  be  made  wholesale  once  a  year.  Provisions  and 
clothes  for  forty  or  fifty  human  beings  were  made  on  the  plan- 
tation, and  stored  at  suitable  seasons.  Shelter  was  provided. 
All  this  called  for  constant  and  vigilant  care.  Many  peculiar 
wants  of  the  inferior  race  had  also  to  be  filled  to  prevent  misery 
and  to  secure  their  health,  comfort  and  general  well-being.  All 
this  tended  to  make  the  responsibilities  of  the  planter  very 
heavy,  and  the  average  planter  met  his  responsibilities  with  a 
conscientiousness  and  an  ability  which  entitle  him  to  high  rank 
amongst  men  of  equal  wealth  and  social  position  anywhere  in 
the  world.  Nor  were  the  responsibilities  of  his  wife  less  con- 
siderable. To  the  servants  she  was  "old  miss,"  whatever  her 
age.  They  thus  voiced  the  sense  of  the  seriousness  of  her 
responsibilities.  In  addition  to  the  care  of  her  own  children, 
and  the  special  training  of  her  daughters  for  services  like  her 
own.  she  had  the  general  care  of  the  whole  black  family,  pre- 
2 


i8  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

scribed  for  their  smaller  ailments,  was  head  nurse  to  them  when 
sick.  She  superintended  the  garment  making,  the  weaving,  the 
spinning  and  knitting.  It  was  hers  to  see  that  the  work  was 
properly  done,  and  that  there  was  no  idling,  to  superintend  the 
keeping  of  the  large  vegetable  and  flower  gardens,  and  of  the 
lawn,  and  to  see  that  there  was  the  least  possible  waste,  that 
theft  was  checked,  tendencies  to  immorality  curbed,  marriages 
arranged,  permitted  or  prohibited.  Li  many  of  these  duties  she 
had  the  assistance,  indeed,  of  her  husband  ;  but  her  own  respon- 
sibilities were  heavy  enough  and  intricate  enough  to  call  forth 
all  that  was  best  in  her  potentialities,  especially  in  cases  in  whom 
a  high  sense  of  stewardship  to  the  great  Master  had  its  proper 
place,  as,  for  example,  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Dabney,  who  would 
never  issue  rations  to  the  wives  of  her  laborers,  but  saw  to  their 
feeding  herself.  He  who  has  met  one  of  these  old  Virginia 
matrons  of  this  type  cannot  readily  efface  the  impression  she 
made  upon  his  mind.  She  discovered  an  education,  simple,  of 
limited  reading,  but  good  in  quality,  her  accent  such  as  the  man 
of  books  and  public  speech  would  like  to  command,  her  English 
charming  for  its  purity,  unmistakable,  but  unobtrusive  religion, 
all  the  graces  of  hospitality,  sweet  sympathy  coupled  with  sweet 
dignity  and  reserve.  She  was  free  of  slovenliness  in  dress, 
bearing  and  behavior,  showed  that  she  had  not  lolled  her  youth 
away  in  rocking-chairs,  but  had  been  used  rather  to  the  back- 
board, the  spinning  wheel,  and  the  other  vigorous  means  of  the 
age  for  physical  development.  She  possessed  poise,  self- 
command,  and  the  power  to  command  others.  She  was  gentle, 
truly  refined,  but  firm.  Slavery  brought  with  it  some  great 
evils,  but  it  elevated  with  wonderful  rapidity  one  of  the  weakest 
and  most  savage  races,  and  it  helped  to  develop  in  the  dominant 
race  the  strongest  of  men  and  of  women,  too  passionate  in  some 
cases,  and  domineering,  but  self-reliant,  able  and  courageous. 

There  was  wonderful  affection  between  the  family  of  the 
master  and  the  black  household.  "Old  Master"  and  "Old  Miss" 
were  generally  intensely  beloved  by  all  their  servants,  and  this 
affection  was  more  than  repaid  by  the  master  and  mistress  and 
their  children.  This  affection  may  be  justly  compared  to  that 
between  the  Highland  chief  and  his  followers.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  close-fisted  master,  if  one  of  his  people  got  into  trouble 
and  became  liable  to  legal  penalty,  would  engage  the  best  lawyer 
to  be  had,  and  fight  for  his  man  as  for  the  life  of  a  son.  paying 
out  in  fees  much  more  than  the  value  of  the  man's  life-long 


Parentage  and  Birth.  19 

service.  When  a  servant  was  to  be  sold,  it  was  usually  only 
because  the  master  v^as  driven  by  bitter  necessity.  Even  then 
every  effort  was  made  to  dispose  of  him  in  such  a  way  as  to 
prevent  his  being:  carried  from  the  neighborhood. 

Another  feature  of  the  life  of  this  people,   exerting  great 
influence  on   their  children,   was   their   political   organization. 
They  were  intensely  patriotic,  and,  therefore,  took  a  deep  and 
active  interest  in  politics.     They  were  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  colonial  sires,  who  had  shaped  the  institutions  of  the  State, 
and  had  taken  the  largest  hand  in  giving  shape  to  the  genieral 
government.      Washington,    the    Lees,    the    Randolphs,    and 
Masons,  and  Madisons  were  the  chiefs  of  their  class.     The 
curse  of  universal  suffrage  had  not  yet  come.    Freeholders  were 
the  only  voters,  and  of  these  the  plain  gentry  constituted  a 
large  part.     There  was  not  much  voting.     The  electors   for 
■  President,  Congressmen  and  members  of  the  Legislature  were 
voted  for,  but  no  others.     The  Governor  was  selected  by  the 
Legislature,  and  the  circuit  and  appellate  judges  also,  after 
their  institution  in  1829.    The  voting  done  was  done  viva  voce. 
"A  secret  ballot  was  considered  to  be  fit  only  for  cowards.'" 
It  is  said  that  a  contested  election  was  never  heard  of.     No 
officer  of  the  county  court  was  elected  by  the  people,  although 
this  court  was  the  great  local  political  power.    It  was  composed 
of  all  the  justices  of  the  peace  of  the  county.     There  were  in 
most  counties  a  considerable  number  of  these.     They  consti- 
tuted a  close  corporation,  the  members  serving  during  good 
behavior.    When  there  was  a  vacancy,  the  court  submitted  three 
names  to  the  Governor  of  the  State,  from  which  he  made  a 
selection.     All  of  these  magistrates  could  sit,  but  a  minority 
constituted  a  quorum.     These  county  courts   were  a  sort  of 
resurrection  and  metamorphosis  of  the  county  courts  which  had 
obtained  anciently  in  England,  and  some  of  which  had  con- 
tinued to  exercise  their  powers  down  to  the  time  of  Henry  VII. 
They  were  established  in  the  Virginia  Colony  in  1623.     They 
were  called  monthly  courts  at  first;    but   in    1642  they  were 
called  county  courts,  the  name  by  which  they  are  familiarly  and 
almost  exclusively  known.     They  were  eminently  suited  to  a 
new  country.    They  exercised  within  the  county  judicial,  legis- 
lative and  executive  functions.    This  was  the  court  before  which 
negroes  were  tried  for  serious  felonies.     (Their  other  offences 
were  punished  on  the  plantations,  and  they  were  rarely  seen  at 
the  bar  of  public  justice.)     It  acted  as  a  court  of  examination 


'20  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

also,  in  regard  to  freemen,  passing  the  cases  to  the  circuit  court 
when  guilt  seemed  probable.  Within  certain  narrow  limits  also 
it  acted  as  a  court  of  chancery.  It  also  provided  for  making 
and  keeping  public  highways  and  ferries,  made  public  contracts, 
levied  taxes,  supervised  the  disbursement  of  public  moneys,  and 
appointed  the  county  clerk,  a  most  important  officer,  "the  king- 
pin of  the  county  organization,"  and  the  surveyors  and  com- 
missioners. The  only  compensation  which  the  justices  received 
was  the  emoluments  of  the  office  of  high  sheriff.  "The  sheriff 
was  appointed  by  the  governor  from  one  of  three  justices  of  the 
peace  recommended  by  the  county  court."  The  members  aimed 
to  confer  this  office  on  themselves  in  turn,  in  the  order  of  official 
seniority.  The  incumbents  usually  farmed  the  office.  This 
court  is  said  to  have  given  the  best  county  government  ever 
enjoyed  by  the  State.  The  members  of  the  court  were  the  very 
best  representatives  of  the  people.  No  man's  dignity  was  so 
great  as  to  exempt  him  from  the  duty  of  serving  as  a  justice. 
Washington  is  said  to  have  served  as  a  justice  of  the  county  of 
Fairfax  in  1770.  Jefferson,  during  a  period  of  his  life,  was  a 
justice  of  Albemarle.  It  was  an  expression  of  the  truly  aristo- 
cratic type  of  representative  government.  Corruption  in  the 
county  courts  was  rarely  heard  of.  In  the  Convention  of 
i829-'30  Mr.  Benjamin  Watkins  Leigh  said  that  he  had  heard 
of  but  two  instances  of  corruption  in  the  county  courts. in  two 
hundred  years,  and  declared  that  he  had  seen  county  courts 
which  were  amongst  the  ablest  tribunals  before  which  he  had 
ever  practiced,  not  even  excepting  the  Court  of  Appeals.  Chief 
Justice  Marshall  said,  *Tt  was  the  truth  that  no  State  in  the 
Union  had  hitherto  more  internal  quiet  than  Virginia.  There 
is  no  part  of  America  where  less  discord  and  less  ill-feeling 
HDCtween  man  and  man  is  to  be  found  than  in  this  common- 
'wealth,  and  he  firmly  believed  that  that  state  of  things  was 
mainly  to  be  ascribed  to  the  practical  operation  of  our  county 
courts.  The  magistrates  who  composed  these  courts  consist  in 
general  of  the  best  men  in  their  respective  counties.  It  was 
mainly  to  their  influence  that  so  much  harmony  existed  in  the 
State."  This  estimate  of  the  character  of  the  members  of  the 
county  courts  was  no  doubt  correct.  The  incumbents  of  the 
magistrate's  bench  were  not  moved  to  it  by  desire  for  money, 
nor  lust  for  power,  but  by  feelings  of  just  pride  and  a  sense  of 
their  dignity  and  importance,  by  a  love  of  country  and  desire  to 
serve  it  in  this  honorable  way.     From  the  earliest  times  county 


Parentage  and  Birth.  21 

court  day  had  been  one  of  great  interest  to  all  the  Virginia 
people.  It  was  so  from  1820  to  1840.  The  sessions  of  the  court 
were  attended  by  a  great  body  of  freeholders.  They  came  not 
only  for  the  transaction  of  legal  business,  but  various  other 
businesses,  or  for  purposes  of  sport  or  fisticuffs.  The  farmer 
came  to  exchange  his  produce  for  the  goods  of  the  merchants, 
to  settle  his  taxes,  and  hear  the  discussion  of  current  topics  of 
the  day.  The  large  planter  came  mingling  freely  with  his 
poorer  and,  perhaps,  less  aristocratic  neighbors.  The  Jew  was 
there  with  his  pedlar's  pack,  and  the  Yankee  with  clocks  and 
other  goods.  The  office-seeker  was,  of  course,  there,  shaking 
hands  with  anxious  and  oily  suavity.  It  was  a  great  time  for 
horse-trading,  and  for  the  fighting  of  bullies,  than  which  few 
things  at  court  were  more  enjoyed  by  the  multitude.  The 
lawyers,  the  principal  politicians  of  the  time,  found  the  very 
best  arena  in  which  to  exploit  their  talents  at  the  county  court. 
The  bench  of  magistrates  represented  the  intelligence  and  in- 
fluence of  the  county.  Together  with  the  large  body  of  free- 
holders that  almost  invariably  gathered  on  the  court  days,  they 
constituted  an  intelligent  and  critical  audience.  Whether  the 
great  lawyers — and  there  were  great  lawyers  in  those  days — 
expounded  the  legal  principles  applicable  to  some  petty  case, 
or  harangued  on  the  court-house  green  on  a  political  topic,  the 
minds  of  these  freeholders  were  helpfully  stirred  and  informed. 

The  people  of  this  region  were  marked  also  for  their  high 
spirit  and  keen  sense  of  honor.  They  were  conscious  of  a  good 
heritage  and  self-respecting.  They  were  men  of  their  word, 
and  above  tricks  in  trade.  Generally  they  showed  themselves 
truly  honorable.  They  were,  indeed,  somewhat  too  ready  to 
"vindicate  their  honor"  by  an  appeal  to  force.  The  duel  was 
no  uncommon  thing  between  gentlemen  in  this  quarter — a 
feature  of  the  life  that  cannot  be  justified,  albeit  it  tended  to 
make  men  more  careful  in  their  intercourse  with  one  another. 

This  was  a  society,  too,  rarely  educated  in  the  essentials.  The 
lawyers,  teachers  and  clergymen  were  all  educators.  Many 
of  the  lawyers,  including  the  leading  politicians,  lived  in  the 
country.  They  were  planters  themselves.  They  came  into 
intimate  contact  with  their  fellow-planters.  Many  of  them 
were  men  of  generous  culture,  and  they  did  more  for  the  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge  than  their  successors  at  any  subsequent 
time  have  done,  perhaps.  The  vocation  of  the  school  teacher 
was  most  important.     They  were  employed  by  the  well-to-do 


22  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

planters  of  a  neighborhood.  Their  school  was  open,  however, 
to  ever}^  freeholder's  cliild  who  was  willing  to  pay  a  reasonable 
tuition.  Not  only  so,  a  literary  fund  was  provided  by  the  State 
to  pay  the  tuition  of  very  poor  pupils.  "The  bare-footed  sons 
of  the  gentry  and  yeoman  attended  the  same  schools,  and  were 
all  well  birched  according  to  the  immemorial  English  custom." 
Most  of  the  teachers  were  young  men  looking  to  the  pulpit,  the 
bar,  or  some  other  profession  than  teaching ;  but  many  of  them 
were  excellent  teachers,  nevertheless.  They  taught  the  youths 
of  the  period  in  a  vigorous  manner  calculated  to  develop  strong 
manhood  in  them,  using  methods  more  vigorous  than  most 
parents  would  permit  now.  The}^  were  apt  to  be  strong  in  the 
study  of  mathematics"  and  Latin.  They  paid  less  attention  to 
mere  etymology  and  syntax  than  is  done  to-day,  but  they  read 
more  Latin,  taught  the  content  of  the  Latin  authors,  gave  cul- 
ture and  information  such  as  is  rarely  given  to-day.  They  were 
often  college-bred  men.  Sometimes  they  had  received  their 
training  in  academies.  They  were  often  the  sons  of  planters. 
We  shall  see  various  types  of  these  teachers  in  the  subsequent 
pages  of  this  book.  The  clergy,  too,  were  generally  teachers, 
especiall}^  the  Presbyterians.  Of  this  also  we  shall  have  in- 
stances in  the  ensuing  pages.  Moreover,  these  people  were  a 
reading  people.  They  had  books.  These  books  were  old- 
fashioned,  but  good.  "Dr.  Johnson,  with  his  dictionary,  essays, 
and  lives  of  the  poets,  held  perhaps  an  undue  prominence,  and 
exercised  a  great  influence  on  style,  which,  while  sincere,  was 
formal."  Shakespeare  and  Addison  always  had  a  place  in  a 
gentleman's  library,  but  "the  favorite  poets  were  Pope  and 
Cowper."  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novels,  books  on  agriculture,  po- 
litical economy,  practical  religion,  a  commentary  or  two,  the 
four  books  of  Blackstone,  some  Latin  classics  and  French  litera- 
ture would  reflect  the  taste  of  different  members  of  the  family 
and  different  generations.  These  people  were  letter-writers  too, 
writing  to  one  another  for  the  purpose  of  informing  and  enter- 
taining. Thus,  in  these  several  ways,  they  became  a  people  of 
education  and  culture. 

Their  religious  culture  was  also  very  considerable.  During 
colonial  times  the  religious  culture  of  Eastern  Virginia,  as  a 
whole,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  first  class.  There  were  good 
men  amongst  the  clergy  of  the  Established  Church,  but  there 
were  many  who  were  not  worthy.  Loose  moral  ideals  prevailed, 
and  gross  living  w^as  common.     Strong  liquors   were  cheap, 


Parentage  and  Birth.  23. 

there  being  no  requirement  of  license  for  their  sale,  and  no  tax 
for  revenue  imposed  upon  them.  Whiskey,  apple  brandy  and 
Jamaica  rum  were  consumed  in  large  quantities,  and  by  all 
classes.  Wealthy  people  drank  heavy  sweet  wines.  Malt 
liquors  were  not  produced.  The  large  consumption  of  liquors 
was  followed  naturally  by  unbalanced  action  and  rowdyism, 
which  bioke  out  in  all  classes,  and  by  much  ill-health  and 
disease,  and  relatively  inefficient  service  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. Meanwhile,  as  time  had  passed,  the  religious  life  had 
been  heightened  in  localities  by  the  labors  of  the  Baptists  and 
the  Presbyterians,  and  perhaps  by  others ;  and  while  the  age  of 
the  Revolution  was  marked  by  the  temporary  prevalence  of  the 
tendency  to  French  infidelity,  there  were  influential  men 
amongst  the  planters,  like  Col.  Charles  Dabney.  of  Hanover 
covmty,  whose  moral  ideals  and  dignity  of  character  were  lofty, 
and  who  maintained  a  simple  and  unaffected  piety.  These  men 
exerted  a  leavening  influence  on  society ;  the  war  once  over  the 
denominations,  with  special  evangelical  spirit  at  the  time,  began 
again  their  efforts.  These  were  soon  followed  by  a  revival. 
This  revolution  of  morals  and  religion  began  early  in  the  cen- 
tury, but  was  in  full  tide  during  the  years  of  the  second,  third 
and  fourth  decades  of  the  century.  Religion  enjoyed  the 
thought  of  the  great  men  of  the  age  throughout  the  States,  and 
of  this  quarter  of  Virginia.  Christian  ministers  became  more 
and  more  men  of  education.  They  were  everywhere  welcomed, 
and  treated  with  respect.  They  were  a  part  of  the  plain  gentry 
of  the  land.    They  exercised  immense  influence. 

Now  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  sprang  up  in  this  society  domi- 
nated by  a  plain,  homespun  gentry.  He  was  of  this  gentry  him- 
self on  both  sides  of  his  house.  Though  his  father  was  the 
leading  man  of  his  county,  the  boy  grew  up  in  a  cottage  house, 
smaller  rather  than  larger  than  the  house  of  the  average  gentle- 
man of  his  county.  He  grew  up  uncorrupted  by  wealth  and 
addicted  to  industry,  even  to  manual  labor  whenever  there  was 
suitable  occasion.  While  his  father  lived,  he  taught,  by  ex- 
ample, diligence  and  frugality  in  the  management  of  his 
plantations  and  people,  and  put  to  with  his  own  hand  at 
physical  labor  as  need  arose.  In  his  modest  home  Robert 
learned  with  his  earliest  years  the  old  Virginia  way  of  enter- 
taining, one  of  the  most  charming  forms  of  hospitality  that  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  He  imbibed  the  love  of  kindred  at  his 
mother's  breast,  and  around  the  hospitable  hearth.    He  enjoyed 


24  LiFK  AND  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

the  leisure  which  slave-holding  gave  to  the  sons  of  the  planters 
for  thorough  and  diversified  learning  and  culture.  On  his 
parental  estate  the  major  part  of  the  menial  labor  was  per- 
formed by  "neat,  well-managed"  and  self-respecting  black 
slaves.  He  profited  by  the  excellent  school  which  slavery  pre- 
sented to  the  sons  of  the  dominant  race  for  learning  the  art  of 
government  and  command.  He  sucked  in  the  political  organi- 
zation of  his  section,  and  made  it  a  part  of  himself.  He  was 
intensely  interested  in  politics  from  a  child.  It  is  said  that 
when  his  father,  upon  his  return  from  the  county  court,  would 
give  an  account  to  gentlemen  of  what  had  taken  place  there, 
Robert,  when  a  very  little  fellow,  was  always  a  most  intent  lis- 
tener, and  that  he  would  repeat  the  conversations  subsequently 
to  his  mother.  We  shall  see  that  he  never  got  over  his  interest 
in  politics.  He  took  to  his  heart  also  this  peculiar  type  of 
aristocratic  representative  government,  as  fitted  to  serve  the 
governed  best,  and  to  breed  the  greatest  men.  He  partook  of 
the  high  spirit  of  his  people,  and  of  their  keen  sense  of  honor. 
He  took  all  their  roads  to  an  education,  and  to  a  many-sided 
education — took  them  as  a  child  and  as  a  boy.  He  received 
their  religion  with  rare  fulness  and  honesty.^ ^ 

It  may  be  doubted  whether  many  more  perfect  products  of 
the  civilization  of  his  section  can  be  found  than  Robert  Lewis 
Dabney.  He  was  its  child,  and  he  loved  it  with  all  his  great, 
big  soul.  This  fact  will  help  to  explain  some  features  of  his 
life  that  have  not  always  been  understood. 

He  was  born  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1820,  and  on  the  5th 
day  of  March.  He  first  saw  the  light  at  his  father's  mill-place, 
on  the  South  Anna  River,  in  Louisa  county,  Va.  While  he  was 
still  a  young  lad,  his  father  removed,  as  we  have  seen,  from  his 
home  on  the  South  Anna  to  his  farm  on  Cub  Creek,  also  in  the 
county  of  Louisa.  This  place  was  about  sixteen  miles  east  of 
Louisa  Court-house,  and  about  fifty  miles  from  Richmond.     It 

"  In  the  construction  of  this  sketch  of  the  social  environment  in 
which  Dr.  Dabney's  childhood  and  youth  were  spent,  we  have  u.sed 
freely  the  address  of  Judge  Waller  R.  Staples  before  the  Virginia  Bar 
Association,  in  1894,  on  "The  County  Courts."  In  connection  with  the 
account  of  the  County  Court  system  and  its  influence,  we  must  also 
express  our  indebtedness  to  Judge  Beverly  R.  Well  ford,  of  Richmond, 
Va.  For  very  much  of  the  matter  needed  to  construct  other  parts  of 
this  sketch,  we  are  indebted  to  S.  B.  Dabney,  Esq.,  of  Victoria,  Texas. 
His  modesty  forbids  a  more  detailed  acknowledgment. 


^^3:])MA 


bany 


Ift.v 


>>\ 


f^^^^~^ — ^=^^=^^^^^^=^^^=.^=^^^ '•       "Juwa.  ana  Eiuabtth  Randolph  Price.     Hia  imraedku  ancnti 

i     Co«Kn^iiri  DANfin  of  EagUoa.  -^^^ — ^ 


Nancy  Dabavy.  t*ba  mar: 


WlllUni  and  Mory'coS™. 


may  be  ccmveaiently  set  fiirth  Iv  the  lue  of  the  A>Uowiiig  dtasnm 


i 


urvi    vin^TaaOHA 


.itt 


Parentage  and  Birth.  25 

was  about  three  miles  south  of  the  main  road  leading  from 
I.ouisa'Court-house  to  Richmond.  Here  in  this  modest  home  ^- 
his  parents  lived  in  the  old  Virginia  way.  Here  Robert  grew 
up. 

^'  The  house  was  a  very  modest  one,  a  story  and  a  half,  with  dormer 
windows.  There  was  a  basement  underneath.  There  were  two  large 
rooms  on  the  main  floor,  and  two  bed-rooms  above.  Adjoining  one 
of  the  rooms  on  the  main  floor  there  was  a  "shed  bed-room."  After 
1850,  Mrs.  Dabney  added  a  two-story  addition  to  her  house.  The 
kitchen  was  at  a  distance  of  several  yards  from  the  house.  There  was 
a  considerable  yard  or  lawn,  and  in  it  at  least  two  fine  old  trees,  an 
oak  and  a  walnut.  There  was  a  fine  terraced  garden,  planted  "in  all 
kinds  of  shrubbery  and  flowers,"  and  beautifully  kept.  There  was  an 
orchard  near  by,  which  was  made  to  serve  as  a  vegetable  garden  as 
well.     The  stables  and  barns  stood  at  some  distance. 


CHAPTER  11. 

EARLY  BOYHOOD. 
(March  5,  1820-Jiine  i,  1836.) 

Modest  Circumstances.  —  His  First  Teacher.  —  An  Old  -  Field 
School. — His  Te.\chers  in  such  Schools,  his  Brother  Ch.\rles 
William,  Mr.  Caleb  Burnley,  Mr.  Thomas  Meredith.  —  His 
Text-Books. — Mr.  Charles  Burnley. — His  Studies  under  the 
Rev.  James  Wh.\rey. — His  Father's  Death. 

IT  has  been  seen  in  the  foregoing  chapter  that  Robert  Lewis 
Dabney  was  born  in  a  family  of  modest  comfort;  that  his 
parents  were  neither  poor  nor  rich.  His  father  was  a  planter  of 
moderate  means,  who  needed  to  use  frugal  thrift  in  order  to 
educate  his  children,  and  to  give  them  comfortable  starts  in  life. 
The  father  died  early,  and  the  mother  had  her  hands  more  than 
full  to  do  for  her  children  what  together  they  had  hoped  to  do. 
There  was  constant  need  for  industry  and  economy,  which, 
however  was  an  advantage  rather  than  a  disadvantage.  He 
could  never  have  done  the  great  work  of  his  mature  years 
without  both  industry  and  economy,  and  it  was  well,  accord- 
ingly^ that  he  should  have  these  qualities  developed  in  his  boy- 
hood days. 

An  important  part  of  his  boyhood  was  spent,  as  we  might 
expect,  in  primary  schools.  He  was  entered  at  a  country  school, 
for  the  first  time,  when  seven  years  old.  His  mother  had  pre- 
viously taught  him  to  spell.  His  first  school  teacher  was  his 
oldest  brother,  Charles  William.  He  was  not  only  a  young 
man  of  amiable  disposition,  excellent  manners,  and  ideals  much 
above  the  average,  but  had  been  taught  in  the  best  private 
schools  of  the  country,  and  possessed  "an  excellent  and  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  Latin  (Cicero,  Virgil,  Tacitus  and  Livy), 
of  arithmetic,  algebra,  geometry  and  surveying,  and  was  well 
read  in  old  English  literature.  On  the  whole,  he  must  have 
been  well  qualified  to  do  his  work  as  teacher  in  the  neigh- 
borhood school.  After  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  had  become 
eminent,  Mr.  Charles  William  would  sometimes  laughingly  say, 


Early  Boyhood.  27 

*I  i^ave  Robert  his  start.  I  prepared  him  in  Latin.'  He  taught 
this  school  for  three  years.  It  was  held  in  a  log-house  near  the 
Dabney  home,  on  the  South  Anna  River." 

About  1830,  Mr.  Charles  Dabney  removed  from  the  place 
on  the  South  Anna  to  his  farm  on  Cub  Creek;  and  in  1831  he. 
and  his  neighbors  employed  as  teacher  Mr.  Caleb  Burnley,  an 
excellent  young  man  of  the  neighborhood.  Mr.  Dabney  pro- 
vided the  house  in  which  the  school  was  held.  It  was  built  on 
his  land — a  log-house,  with  a  clap-board  roof,  log  chimney, 
and  one  glass  window.  In  his  old  days,  Dr.  Robert  Lewis 
Dabney  described  this  house  as  we  have  done,  and  then  added 
that  this  was  the  style  of  building  in.  which  the  sons  of  the 
planters  in  Virginia  in  that  day  were  taught,  having  "always 
good  teachers  and  plenty  of  birch — the  teachers  being  very 
strict  about  our  manners." 

During  the  next  three  years,  he  went  to  a  similar  school, 
which  was  held  on  the  farm  of  a  neighbor,  Dr.  Meredith.  This 
school  was  taught  by  Dr.  Meredith's  son,  Tom.  A  feature  of 
the  school  which  impressed  itself  very  clearly  on  the  mind  of 
>"oung  Dabney  was  the  old-fashioned  way  of  spelling,  twenty 
or  thirty  thrown  into  a  class  in  the  afternoon  toward  the  close 
of  the  session,  and  "trapping."  By  trapping  is  meant  the 
system  which  provided  for  the  good  speller's  working  his  way 
to  the  head  of  the  class  by  going  above  those  who  had  missed  a 
word  which  he  himself  spelled  correctly  when  it  came  to  him. 
The  "turning  down,"  or  "going  up,"  produced  a  rivalry  which 
resulted  in  good  spellers. 

At  this  school  he  studied  the  following  text-books :  Pike's 
Arithmetic,  Madam  Willard's  Astronomical  Geography.  The 
New  Testament  was  his  reading  book.  He  also  studied  Latin 
and  Greek.  In  Latin  he  studied  Ruddiman's  "Institutes  of 
Latin  Grammar,"  Ainsworth's  Latin  Dictionary,  Colloquia 
Scholastica,  by  Corderius,  Caesar,  Sallust  and  Virgil,  in  which 
he  read  an  extensive  course,  the  whole  of  Horace  and  Cicero's 
Orations ;  in  Greek  he  studied  Bullion's  Greek  Grammar, 
Schrevelius'  Lexicon  Manuale  Grsecorum  Latinum  (a  Greek 
dictionary  in  which  the  Greek  words  are  defined  in  the  Latin 
language),  a  part  of  the  New  Testament  in  Greek,  Xenophon's 
Anabasis,  and  a  compilation  in  two  volumes,  octavo,  called 
Grasca  Minora  and  Grseca  Majora,  containing  some  simple 
Greek  fables  and  extracts  from  Xenophon,  Herodotus,  Plato, 


28  Life  and  Letters  of  Roi!frt  Lewis  Dabney. 

Homer,  Anacreon,  and  so  forth.  "We  'parsed'  extensively,  an 
excellent  way,  now  out  of  fashion."  ^ 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  in  passing-  that  his  studies  at  this 
period  of  his  life  seem  to  have  covered  no  great  numher  of 
topics,  but  that  they  were  extensive  in  the  classics.  Two  advan- 
tages naturally  followed  from  this :  concentration  of  energies 
along  a  few  lines  enabled  him  to  put  more  force  out  along  those 
lines,  and  accomplish  relatively  great  things  in  those  studies ; 
he  was  also  preserved  from  falling  into  the  habit  of  skimming 
over  the  surface  of  things.  In  his  modest  way,  he  tells  us 
here  that  he  had.  prior  to  entering  college,  accomplished  more 
work  in  the  classics  than  is  now  required  of  a  candidate  for  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  in  order  to  his  graduation  in  one 
of  our  modern  colleges.  Dr.  William  G.  T.  Shedd,  in  one  of  his 
valuable  books,  criticizes  the  contemporary  college  curricula  as 
having  suffered  from  "fatty  degeneration."  Our  academies 
have  done  the  same  thing.  Our  age  would  do  well  to  study  one 
of  those  old-field  schools. 

During  1835  ^^^  went  to  a  similar  school  taught  by  Mr. 
Charles  Burnley,  who  was  a  young  Baptist  preacher,  and  an 
excellent  man. 

From  January,  1836,  to  June.  1836,  he  studied  under  the 
Rev.  James  Whary,  his  mother's  pastor.  The  gentleman,  the 
father  of  Rev.  Thomas  Wharey  and  the  Rev.  James  Wharey. 
was  a  saint  and  a  scholar.  In  his  old  days  Dr.  Dabney  was 
wont  to  speak  of  him  as  "a  saintly  man  and  well  educated."  He 
has  the  repute  of  having  been  a  good  pastor,  and  a  solid  and 
instructive  preacher.  He  was  the  author  of  a  Church  History, 
published  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication,  in  Phila- 
delphia— "one  of  its  standard  works,  which,  being  condensed 
and  suitable  for  general  use.  has  had  a  wide  circulation." 
Young  Dabney  rode  seven  miles  on  a  colt  once  a  week,  and 
spent  the  day  with  Mr.  Wharey,  who,  with  great  care,  prepared 
him  for  college,  pressing  him  on  especially  in  his  algebra  and 
geometry.  His  text  books  at  this  time  were  Day's  Algebra  and 
Simpson's  Euclid. 

Meanwhile  a  heavy  blow  had  fallen  on  the  family  of  which 
Robert  Lewis  Dabney  was  a  member — the  death  of  the  father. 

^  From  manuscript  Memoranda  of  his  Life,  dictated  by  Robert  L. 
Dabney,  and  in  the  possession  of  his  son,  Dr.  Charles  W.  Dabney,  Kno\- 
ville,  Tenn.,  pp.  2,  3. 


Early  Boyhood.  29 

The  character  of  Mr.  Charles  Dabney  has  already  been  set 
forth  as  space  allowed.  As  man  sees  things,  the  death  of  such 
a  father  is  an  irreparable  loss  to  any  family,  but  he  who  is  "a 
father  of  the  fatherless  and  a  judge  of  the  widows"  knows  what 
is  for  the  good  of  his  own.  In  September,  1833,  when  only 
forty-eight  years  of  age,  Mr.  Dabney  sickened  and  died  of 
fever.  His  death  inflicted  a  sense  of  loss  on  his  community  and 
on  his  entire  county.  The  court  and  bar  of  Louisa  county  gave 
the  following  expression  to  their  sense  of  loss : 

"At  a  Court  of  Monthly  Session,  held  for  the  county  of  Louisa,  at 
the  Court-house,  on  Monday,  the  9th  day  of  September,  1833  • 

"It  is  represented  to  the  court  that  Col.  Charles  Dabney,  a  member 
of  this  court,  and  Representative-elect  for  the  county  of  Louisa  in  the 
next  Legislature,  departed  this  life  on  Friday,  the  6th  day  of  the  present 
month,  after  a  short  illness  of  only  seven  days ; 

"Resolved,  therefore,  by  the  Court  and  Bar  of  Louisa,  That  the  death 
of  such  a  man  as  Col.  Dabney  is  greatly  to  be  deplored,  as  a  loss  to 
his  countrj',  not  only  for  his  public  services,  but  for  his  private  virtues, 
his  charity,  his  benevolence,  and  kind  disposition  towards  all  persons, 
so  well  known  to  the  county. 

"Resolved,  That  in  token  of  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  a  friend  and 
fellow-citizen,  so  beloved  and  esteemed,  the  members  and  officers  of  the 
court,  the  members  of  the  bar,  and  the  citizens  here  assembled,  will 
wear  the  usual  badge  of  mourning  for  thirty  days. 

"Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  proceedings  be  sent  to  the  Rich- 
mond and  Charlottesville  papers  for  publication. 

"Afterwards,  on  motion — 

"Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  proceedings  be  sent  to 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dabney,  the  consort  of  the  deceased,  as  a  token  of  the 
sympathy  with  her,  felt  by  many  of  her  fellow-citizens,  at  this  afflicting 
bereavement. 

"And  then  the  court  adjourned. 

"A  copy — Teste  : 

"John  Hunter,  C.  C.  L.'' 


CHAPTER  TIT. 

irillLE  STUDENT  AT  HAMPDEN -SIDNEY  COLLEGE. 
(June  I,  1836-September  27,  1837.) 

Time  Spent  at  Hampden-Siuney.  —  Studies  Pursued  to  Completion 
There. — Habits  of  Study;  Nervous  Feeling  of  Obligation  to  do 
Well  from  the  Start;  Painstaking  Effort  on  Every  Part  of 
HIS  Course;  Writes  his  Declamations. — Other  Habits  There; 
Respect  for  the  Rules  of  the  College;  Not  Much  Given  to 
Social  Visiting;  Carefulness  in  Regard  to  Expenses;  Neat- 
ness.— Views  of  the  College;  Description  of  the  Professors. — 
Views  of  the  Students,  Shepperson,  Hoge. — Views  of  the  Com- 
munity.— Persons  with  whom  he  Boarded  while  at  College. — 
His  Letter- Writing  while  there;  His  Homesickness  at  First; 
What  Sort  of  Letters  he  Desired  from  Home  ;  What  he  Wrote 
About  Himself;  His  Affection  for  his  Family  Shown  in  his 
Letters. — Reasons  for  Discontinuing  his  Studies  at  Hampden- 
Sidney. — View  Taken  of  him  at  Hampden-Sidney  at  the  Time. — 
His  Profession  of  his  Faith  in  Christ. — His  First  Communion. 

ON  the  first  day  of  June,  1836.  Robert  Lewis  Dabney 
entered  Hampden-Sidney  College  as  a  student.  He  was 
then  sixteen  years  and  three  months  old — tall  and  slender, 
swarthy  in  complexion,  with  dark  brown  hair,  and  fine  dark 
eyes,  rather  deeply  set  under  a  fine  brow,  and  dominating  a 
strong  and  attractive  lower  face,  with  firm  mouth  and  strong- 
chin.  He  was  somewhat  wanting  in  ease  of  manner,  and  pos- 
sessed little  grace  of  movement.  He  entered  the  sophomore 
class  half  advanced.  At  that  time  there  were  two  sessions  in 
the  college  year  separated  by  vacations  of  about  one  month 
each — a  session  from  November  to  April,  inclusive,  and  a 
session  from  June  to  September,  inclusive.  Having  passed 
through  the  summer  session  of  1836.  he  returned  in  November 
following  for  the  winter  session  of  1836  to  1837,  and  then 
again  for  the  summer  session  of  1837. 

During  these  sessions  he  completed  the  college  courses  of 
mathematics,  physics.  Latin  and  Greek,  as  arranged  at  that 
time.  The  courses  in  the  departments  of  mathematics  and 
physics  were  ably  taught.  The  languages,  on  the  other  hand, 
seem  to  have  been  taught  with  less  ability. 


m! 


^f< 


While  Student  at  Hampden-Sidney.  31 

Young  Dabney,  as  we  learn  repeatedly  from  his  letters  of  the 
period,  began  his  college  career  with  aspiration  to  become  a 
learned  man.  He  tells  his  friends  at  home  over  and  over  again 
that  he  has  "determined  that  study  and  attention  shall  not  be 
wanting."  He  was  nervous  throughout  the  first  session  as  to 
the  reputation  he  should  make  that  session.  He  felt  the  import- 
ance of  doing  well  from  the  start.  In  a  letter  to  his  mother,  of 
the  date  of  August  20,  1836,  he  says,  "It  is  said  that  a  student 
is  almost  certain  to  stand  throughout  his  whole  course  just  as 
he  stands  the  first  session,  and  if  he  gets  a  bad  name  at  first,  it 
requires  the  greatest  exertions  to  get  rid  of  it ;  and  his  habits  of 
study  will  be  very  much  the  same  as  they  were  the  first  session, 
so  that  this  is  by  far  the  most  important  part  of  my  course." 
He  seems  to  have  put  forth  painstaking  eflfort  on  every  branch 
of  his  studies,  and  to  have  applied  himself  closely,  and  that,  too, 
as  a  matter  of  conviction  as  to  what  was  right  in  the  circum- 
stances. He  writes  to  his  mother  on  November  6,  1836,  "My 
room-mate  is  a  very  good  sort  of  young  man,  and  was  very  kind 
to  me  while  I  was  unwell.  I  think  we  shall  agree  very  well. 
He  seems  very  anxious  to  study,  but  does  not  stay  much  in  his 
own  room.  This  is  a  bad  symptom,  for,  however  it  may  be  in 
other  matters,  he  who  gads  about  does  not  study.  It  is  very 
important  for  a  student  to  make  himself  well  acquainted  with 
his  own  room."  In  the  class-room  he  was  so  good  a  listener 
and  so  accurate  a  note-taker  that  his  notes  were  widely  copied 
by  his  fellow-students.  Writing  to  his  mother  on  the  3rd  of 
June,  1837,  with  all  the  abandon  of  perfect  filial  confidence, 
about  his  career  in  the  study  of  Dr.  Draper's  course,  he  says, 
"There  is  great  skill  required  in  taking  these  notes  well,  and 
mine  last  session  were  almost  the  only  ones  in  the  class.  Many 
of  them  took  exact  copies  of  my  note-book  after  I  was  done 
with  it."  He  adds  in  a  sportive  vein,  "This  you  would  suppose 
to  be  almost  as  difficult  as  to  take  the  notes  from  the  lectures 
originally  when  you  remember  how  bad  a  hand  I  write.  I  used 
frequently  to  threaten  that  I  would  write  them  so  that  they 
should  be  unintelligible  to  every  one  but  myself.  There  is, 
however,  amongst  the  students  a  most  perfect  spirit  of  gen- 
erosity in  all  such  things  as  the  loan  of  books  and  assistance  in 
each  other's  studies.  All  our  things  are  regarded  pretty  much 
as  common  stock  amongst  intimate  acquaintances  and  neigh- 
bors." These  added  words  may  seem  to  some  irrelevant  while 
speaking  of  young  Dabney's  habits  of  study,  but  they  serve  to 


;^^2  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

emphasize  further  the  careful  and  solid  character  of  his  work  by 
showing  the  respect  which  the  students  had  for  it,  while  they 
also  reveal  a  beautiful  trait  of  his  character,  that  of  finding 
pleasure  in  giving  any  sort  of  aid  to  his  fellows,  and  his  mod- 
esty, since  he  can  hardly  refer  to  this  eminence  of  his  above  his 
fellows  without  evident  embarrassment.  He  was  not  only  care- 
ful in  the  performance  of  everything  that  was  required,  his 
thirst  for  improvement  led  him  to  attempt  somewhat  beyond 
the  pale  of  requirements,  not  only  in  private,  but  in  his  public 
exercise.  For  instance,  he  wrote,  in  his  junior  year,  at  least 
some  of  his  own  declamations.  In  the  college  in  his  day,  the 
members  of  the  lower  classes  were  required  to  pronounce 
declamations  once  in  each  four  weeks.  They  were  expected  to 
commit  suitable  extracts  for  these  occasions.  The  members  of 
the  senior  class  were  required  to  compose  and  deliver  their  own 
orations.  Young  Dabney  looked  on  declamation  as  "doing  no 
good  except  giving  a  man  confidence,"  and  accordingly  resolved 
that  he  would  do  in  his  junior  year  that  which  was  required  of 
the  seniors.  On  the  8th  of  September,  1836,  he  writes  to  his 
brother,  Mr.  William  Dabney,  "I  intend  to  write  some  of  mine 
next  session.  It  will  at  least  make  me  more  familiar  with  com- 
position, and  I  think  that  I  can  speak  my  own  productions  with 
a  great  deal  more  spirit  than  some  one's  else."  We  learn  from 
the  letters  of  the  following  year  that  he  carried  his  resolution 
into  execution  once,  and  with  results  so  satisfactory  that  he 
proceeded  to  repeat  the  effort. 

Amongst  his  literary  remains  there  are  ten  papers  which  were 
prepared  during  his  days  as  student  in  Hampden-Sidney  Col- 
lege, viz.,  five  "compositions,"  two  "forensics,"  one  of  them 
against  Moses  D.  Hoge,  and  three  "orations."  They  betray 
crudities,  but  also  strong  common  sense,  unusual  intelligence 
and  breadth  of  reading  for  a  youth  of  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years  of  age.  They  show  that  he  has  already  learned  how  to 
read  history ;  he  says,  "Do  we  read  history  merely  to  commit 
to  memory  a  catalogue  of  facts  and  the  opinion  which  some 
other  man  has  formed  concerning  them  ?  Or  do  we  not  rather 
wish  to  store  the  mind  with  a  series  of  events,  whose  causes  and 
effects  it  may  afterwards  examine,  and  which  it  may  compare 
both  with  each  other,  and  with  the  incidents  which  are  daily 
taking  place?"  Blind  reliance  on  the  judgment  of  others  he 
condemned  as  well  as  the  contemptuous  treatment  of  their 
opinions.    Privately  also  he  wrought  to  improve  himself  outside 


While  Student  at  Hampden-Sidnev.  33 

prescribed  duties.  On  the  19th  of  February,  1837,  he  writes  to 
his  mother,  "I  have  nearly  stopped  reading  novels  lately;  but 
I  have  a  novel  in  my  room  now  for  the  first  time  for  several 
months.  I  have  read  Hume's  History  of  England  nearly  up  to 
the  time  of  Cromwell.  I  thought  it  very  dry  when  I  first  began, 
but  I  have  now  become  acquainted  with  his  style,  and  like  it 
very  well.  I  remember  that  you  were  very  anxious  that  I 
should  read  it,  and  wished  me  to  borrow  it  from  Mr.  Minor. 
Now  I  can  read  it  without  borrowing,  which  you  know  I  never 
liked." 

He  so  behaved  while  at  college  that  when  about  to  leave,  and 
looking  forward  to  teaching  school,  he  could  say,  "I  feel  some 
diffidence  about  whether  I  shall  do  justice  to  my  scholars  or  not, 
but  I  know  that  I  have  done  my  best  to  prepare  myself.  Since 
I  have  been  at  college,  I  have  always  taken  the  highest  mark 
for  scholarship,  and  that  at  a  time  when  no  one  else  in  college 
obtained  it.  I  think  you  know  me  well  enough  to  believe  me 
when  I  say  that  I  do  not  tell  this  out  of  any  vanity,  but  only 
because  it  will  be  pleasing  to  you.  But  as  every  one  else  may 
not  think  with  you  and  me  on  this  point,  you  had  better,  for  the 
sake  of  my  good  name,  not  repeat  this."  ^ 

He  was  cquall}'  commendable  in  his  other  habits.  The 
college  was  visited  with  epidemics  of  disorder  during  his  resi- 
dence there.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  gambling  in  the  winter 
of  i836-'37,  and  some  expulsions  and  suspensions  in  conse- 
c[uence,  penalties  which  the  student  body  generally  thought  too 
severe.  To  show  their  displeasure  at  the  decisions  of  the  faculty 
about  half  the  students  organized  themselves  into  a  disorderly 
band  of  disturbers,  and  conducted  a  calithump  extraordinary  in 
all  the  annals  of  Hampden-Sidney  College  for  its  wildly  con- 
temptuous behavior  toward  the  professors.  In  consequence  of 
this  the  faculty  threatened  to  dismiss  about  twenty  of  the  chief 
disturbers,  but  the  matter  was  finally  adjusted  in  a  more  ami- 
cable manner.  The  offenders  were  "called  into  the  chapel,  and 
there,  before  the  whole  college,  they  took  a  solemn  promise  to 
behave  well  thereafter,  and  so  forth."  - 

While  disapproving  of  the  faculty's  management  as  indis- 
crete during  these  days  of  disorder,  he  kept  free  of  disorder 
himself,  and  he  expresses  himself  in  terms  of  strong  indignation 


^  See  letter  of  September  i,  1837,  to  his  mother. 
"  Letter  to  his  mother,  dated  February  3,  1837. 
3 


34  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

against  the  violaters  of  the  rules  of  an  institution  on  which  they 
were  attending  of  free  choice.  So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to* 
find,  he  complied  habitually  with  all  the  requirements  of  college, 
unless  we  except  an  occasional  absence  from  chapel,  due  to 
oversleeping,  and  an  occasional  absence  from  his  assigned  place 
in  church  on  Sunday ;  and  in  regard  to  these  he  explains  to  his 
mother  that  she  is  acquainted  with  his  difficulty  in  waking  at 
the  proper  hour,  and  that  when  absent  from  his  place  in 
church,  it  was  owing  to  his  having  been  escort  to  his  "Aunt 
Dabney,"  then  on  the  Hill,  who  sat  in  another  part  of  the 
building. 

He  was  not  much  given  to  social  visiting  of  the  ladies.  He 
felt  the  need  of  polish  that  comes  of  conversation  with  refined 
ladies,  but  he  doubted  whether,  while  being  on  the  expense 
involved  in  a  life  in  college,  he  should  attempt  to  get  that  polish. 
He  sought  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  only  of  the  women  of 
the  highest  type.  He  writes  to  his  mother  on  the  3rd  of  June, 
1837,  "I  sometimes  doubt  whether  it  is  right  in  me  to  visit  here. 
I  do  not  believe  that  I  lose  much  except  in  the  time  actually 
spent  in  the  visits,  for  the  images  of  the  ladies  do  not  trouble  me 
in  the  retirement  of  my  chamber ;  but  still  the  time  occupied  in 
dressing,  and  so  forth,  is  something,  and  I  doubt  whether  the 
improvement  in  manners  compensates  me  for  it.  However,  I 
shall  continue  my  visits  to  Mrs.  Powers  and  her  guests.  She 
is  my  example  of  a  true  old  Virginia  lady,  such  an  one  as  does 
honor  to  her  country."  He  knew  the  value  of  money ;  knew  to 
what  efforts  his  mother  was  put  to  supply  him  with  the  neces- 
sary funds,  and  he  was,  therefore,  careful  as  to  all  his  expendi- 
tures. This  appears  often  in  his  letters,  as  in  the  letter  to  his 
mother,  dated  July  23,  1836,  in  which  he  states  that  he  will 
need  a  "few  dollars"  more  than  he  has  on  hand,  to  pay  his  debts 
and  his  passage  home  at  the  end  of  September.  He  says, 
"There  are  a  great  many  little  expenses  which  no  one  would 
ever  think  of  until  he  has  been  here,  for  I  can  say  that  I  have  not 
spent  more  than  a  dollar  and  a  half  in  useless  things  since  I 
have  been  here.  I  have  set  down  every  cent,  and  I  will  show 
}'OU  my  account  \\hen  I  get  home."  He  was  also  remarkable 
for  neatness  in  his  room  and  person.  He  h.ad  the  reputation 
for  the  ueatest  room  in  college,  and  he  seems  to  have  been 
equally  careful  as  to  his  dress ;  he  criticizes  some  of  his  fellows 
as  too  indifferent  to  dress,  and  one  in  particular,  whom  he  ad- 
mired greatly  in  other  respects. 


While  Student  at  Hampden-Sidney.  35 

He  entertained  very  independent  views  as  to  the  character  of 
Hampden-Sidney  College  in  his  days  there.  He  tells  his 
mother,  and  his  brother  in  particular,  of  the  noble  work  it  had 
done  in  the  past,  in  turning  out  learned  men,  of  its  struggles 
with  poverty,  having  at  the  time  interest-bearing  funds  amount- 
ing to  "only  $17,000,"  of  its  frequent  loss  of  its  more  promising 
professors,  and  of  its  liability  to  continue  subject  to  such  losses. 
On  the  13th  of  August,  1836,  he  writes.  "I  think  it  is  paying 
rather  dear  for  learning,  especially  if  we  have  no  better  teachers 
than  we  have  at  home.  I  do  not  think  that  I  learn  any  more  of 
Latin  or  Greek  than  I  could  learn  by  myself,  for  our  professor 
of  languages  is  so  indiiterent  that  he  does  not  teach  us  anything. 
The  only  object,  then,  in  coming  here  is  the  study  of  mathe- 
matics and  chemistry,  in  both  of  which  departments  we  have 
very  good  professors ;  but  as  we  are  about  to  lose  our  professor 
of  chemistry,  I  think  that  the  college  will  be  a  very  poor  place, 
and  the  only  reason  why  I  should  come  here  in  preference  to 
some  other  college,  is  your  predilection  for  it."  In  a  letter  to 
his  brother  William,  August  5,  1836,  he  had  already  sketched, 
with  a  vigorous  hand,  the  professors  severally.  After  some 
preliminary  remarks  of  an  introductory  nature,  he  began : 

"I  will  now  proceed  to  make  you  acquainted  with  some  of  our  pro- 
fessors, and  first  with  the  president.  He  is  a  nice,  active  man,  a  little 
telow  the  middle  size,  and  is  a  great  hand  to  run  after  the  students 
when  they  get  into  mischief.  He  follows  the  fashion  about  as  much 
as  you  do,  wears  small  whiskers,  and  combs  his  hair  in  a  very  classical 
manner.  He  is  quite  handsome,  and  has  quite  an  intelligent  countenance 
and  a  very  fine  eye.  He  is  a  very  fine  speaker,  and  in  a  whole  sermon 
he  will  not  have  a  single  word  or  gesture  wrong.  Indeed,  I  think  that 
he  has  rather  too  large  a  portion  of  outside,  but  he  is.  nevertheless,  a 
very  wise  man,  and  well  qualified  for  his  office.  Our  next  best  is  the 
Professor  of  Chemistry.  He  is  an  Englishman,  and  quite  celebrated 
for  several  important  discoveries.  He  is  a  little  lower  than  our  friend, 
John  Fox,  and  much  such  a  looking  man.  having  a  highly-colored  face, 
as  if  he  had  been  raised  on  Thompsonian  physic.  Notwithstanding  his 
appearance,  he  is  an  excellent  chemist  and  a  very  agreeable  lecturer. 
The  next  is  the  most  remarkable  looking  man  I  ever  saw.  He  is  about 
six  feet  high,  but  does  not  weigh  more  than  120  pounds,  I  should  think 
from  his  appearance ;  his  face  is  about  the  color  of  a  dead  oak  leaf, 
though  not  so  dark,  and  he  wears  a  little  pair  of  whiskers,  each  of 
which  contains  about  a  hundred  spires  of  beard.  He  is  Professor  of 
Mathematics,  and  although  young,  he  is  an  excellent  scholar,  one  of 
the  best  that  ever  came  from  the  Universitv.     The  last  in  order  is  the 


36  Life  and  Letters  of  Rohert  Lewis  Darxev. 

Professor  of — .    He  is  about  the  size  of  Charles  Burnley,  and  not 

so  good  a  teacher.  I  think  that  there  is  some  resemblance  between 
them;  he  is  not  a  better  looking  man,  though  somewhat  more  fash- 
ionable. But  I  have  forgotten  to  give  you  their  names,  so  I  will  give 
them  to  you  now  in  all  form.  Daniel  L.  Carrol,  D.  D.,  Professor  of 
Metaphysics  and  Moral  Philosophy;  John  William  Draper,  M.  D., 
Professor  of  Natyral  Philosophy  and  Chemistry;  Zebulon  Montgomer}^ 

Pike    Powers,    Professor    of    Mathematics,    and    ,    Professor    of 

Ancient  Languages  and  Literature.  .  .  .  The  lectures  in  mathematics 
are  conducted  thus :  the  Professor  calls  upon  some  one  of  the  students, 
generally  one  whom  he  suspects  has  not  been  studying  very  hard,  and 
makes  him  explain  or  prove  any  proposition  as  it  is  done  in  the  book, 
if  he  can,  and  then  goes  over  it  himself,  explains  it  fully,  and  tells  us- 
its  applications  or  use  in  subsequent  calculations.  If  the  student  is  not 
able  to  explain  it,  he  calls  on  some  one  else,  and  he  will  thus  try  every 
one  in  the  class  in  a  few  days.  In  language,  we  get  a  lesson  in  the 
ordinary  manner,  and  read  it  over  in  the  lecture-room ;  the  professor 
then  asks  questions  and  explains  the  constructions,  and  ought  to  give 
us  a  description  of  all  the  persons  and  places  mentioned  in  the  book, 
but  this  is  very  rarely  done.  All  my  studies  are  comprehended  in  these 
two  branches.  .  .  .  Their  mode  of  detecting  mischief  is  to  run  up 
on  the  mischief-makers  so  that  they  may  get  close  enough  to  recognize 
them ;  but  this  they  rarely  do,  and  they  sometimes  have  most  ludicrous 
races." 

He  found  many  men  amongst  the  students  between  whom 
and  himself  there  could  be  little  congeniality.  Some  were  idlers, 
some  were  wanting  in  the  bearing  of  a  gentleman.  He  ex- 
pressed himself  in  terms  of  fierce  condemnation  of  such ;  but 
he  found  some  noble  spirits  amongst  his  fellow-students  at 
Hampden-Sidney,  for  whom  he  conceived  a  high  and  generous 
admiration.  One  of  these  was  Mr.  John  G.  Shepperson,  and 
another  was  Moses  Drury  Hoge.  Of  Mr.  Shepperson  he  wrote 
to  his  brother  on  the  8th  of  July,  1836,  "He  is  negligent  of  his 
dress  to  a  fault,  has  a  very  awkward  person  and  address,  and 
cares  not  for  the  ridicule  of  any  person  living  when  he  thinks 
that  he  is  right ;  insomuch  that  he  often  does  things  that  are 
ridiculous,  I  believe,  only  to  show  that  he  is  independent.  l>ut 
yet  he  is  esteemed  by  every  one,  and  I  believe  that  there  is  no 
person  living  who  has  anything  against  him."  Between  himself 
and  Moses  Drury  Hoge  there  was  formed  at  this  time  a  friend- 
ship that  was  to  grow  strong  and  endure  every  strain  till  Dr. 
Hoge  should  help  to  bury  him.  his  old  and  very  honored  friend, 
at  Hami:)dcn-Sidnev,  in  the  \-eav  i8()8. 


While  Student  at  Hampdex-Sidxev.  37 

Amongst  his  college-mates  were  also  Tliomas  S.  Bocock,  who 
was  to  become  Speaker  of  the  Confederate  Congress ;  V.  Cole- 
man, J.  H.  Fitzgerald,  and  William  T.  Richardson,  for  a  long 
time  the  editor  of  the  Central  Presbyterian;  Francis  D.  Irving, 
Charles  S.  Carrington.  J.  A'ernon  Cosby,  J.  W.  Clapp,  Samuel 
Branch,  Willis  Wilson,  William  H.  Anderson,  William  B. 
Shepard,  and  John  A.  Lancaster.  Some  of  these  were  his  close 
friends  throughout  life. 

During  the  first  months  of  his  sojourn  in  the  college  he  seems 
to  h.ave  felt  that  the  people  in  the  community  were  inaccessible ; 
but  as  the  months  passed  he  was  received  into  home  after 
home,  and  grew  to  think  Prince  Edward  remarkable  for  its 
hospitality.  He  animadverts,  however,  on  the  efifort  at  show, 
"especially  among  the  ladies" ;  and  makes  many  satirical  com- 
ments on  their  poor  carriages  and  ill-fed  beasts.  He  advances 
the  opinion  that  it  would  really  be  more  genteel  to  turn  such 
horses  out  to  graze,  and  to  walk  instead  of  driving  to  church 
and  elsewhere. 

He  lived,  while  at  college,  in  the  college  dormitories,  but  took 
his  meals  for  a  time  at  Dr.  Carrol's,  then  at  Mr.  Vernon's; 
during  the  winter  session,  i836-'37.  he  took  them,  with  six 
other  fine  fellows,  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  John  Holt  Rice.  This 
was  his  happiest  boarding  place.  Mrs.  Rice,  the  venerable 
widow  of  Dr.  John  Holt  Rice,  the  founder  of  Union  Seminary, 
Avas  like  a  mother  to  him,  nursing  him  through  a  brief  illness 
with  great  tenderness  and  skill.  During  his  last  summer  term 
the  college  authorities  required  all  the  students  "to  board  at  the 
college  refectory.  This  was  greatly  to  his  dissatisfaction,  as 
Avell  as  to  that  of  others,  particularly  ]\'Irs.  Rice's  boarders. 

He  was  a  great  letter-writer  in  those  early  years.  His  cor- 
respondents were,  for  the  most  part,  members  of  his  own  im- 
mediate family.  His  mother  seems  to  have  laid  a  command 
upon  him  to  write  to  herself  or  some  one  else  of  the  home  folks 
at  least  once  a  week,  that  she  might  be  kept  constantly  informed 
of  his  condition.  But  stronger  even  than  his  respect  for  this 
command  was  the  demand  of  his  own  heart  for  communion 
with  his  own  family.  He  was  of  a  most  afifectionate  temper 
toward  his  mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  and  never  forgot,  down 
to  his  old  age,  his  homesickness  during  his  first  weeks  in  college. 
As  he  could  not  be  at  home  he  wanted  to  hear  from  them  by 
letter  often,  and  to  pour  himself  out  through  his  pen-point  in 
writing  to  them.    He  remonstrates,  argues  and  threatens,  all  in 


38  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

order  to  get  more  letters  and  fuller  letters.     In  his  letter  of 
June  14,  1836,  he  writes: 

"I  feel  very  lonely  sometimes,  although  there  are  so  many  people- 
about,  and  I  often  wish  I  had  a  room-mate.  You  are  now,  I  suppose, 
at  Woodson's  (Mr.  Payne's,  a  son's-in-law),  and  Betty  is  following^ 
Nanny  about,  and  Francis  is  out  with  him  in  the  new  ground.  I  seem 
to  see  you  now  as  plainly  as  if  I  were  with  you,  and  feel  a  sort  of 
satisfaction  in  picturing  to  myself  the  situations  of  you  all  at  this  time. 
Therefore,  when  you  write  to  me,  tell  me  all  of  your  plans,  that  I  may 
follow  you  in  my  mind  in  all  of  your  movements,  and  almost  think 
myself  with  you." 

In  a  letter  of  August  20th,  the  same  year,  he  writes : 

"I  hope  that  you  have  a  good  crop  of  tobacco.  I  fancy  sometimes 
that  I  can  see  all  of  that  lot  by  the  corn-house,  green  and  fine,  and  old 
imcle  Harry  and  Jack  pulling  off  the  worms.  I  assure  you  that  I  very 
often  think  of  every  living  thing,  both  man  and  beast,  on  our  plantation, 
and  that  the  sight  of  Betty's  kitten  playing  with  the  spool  would  give 
me  the  greatest  pleasure ;  but  I  suppose  that  she  has  grown  so  large 
that  she  plays  with  rats  now." 

These  are  but  samples.  Throughout  his  college  course  he 
begs  and  pleads  to  be  informed  of  everything  that  occurs  in  his 
neighborhood,  things  of  moment  and  trifling  things — he  wishes 
to  be  told  them  all. 

As  for  his  own  letters,  proof  has  already  been  furnished  that 
he  wrote  on  a  g4"eat  variety  of  topics.  But  he  drew  his  materials 
from  many  more  sources  than  we  have  hitherto  indicated.  He 
adjusted  himself  to  his  correspondents.  With  his  brother 
William  he  gave  much  space  to  the  discussion  of  principles  of 
behavior  and  to  argument.  With  other  members  of  his  family 
he  uses  his  sp.ace  in  descriptions  of  his  surroundings  and  life. 
With  his  mother  he  is  at  his  best,  always  tender,  and  respectful 
to  the  verge  of  reverence  in  manner,  and  dealing  with  conditions 
and  principles  in  a  way  that  she  will  most  certainly  approve.  A 
few  quotations  will  show  us  at  once  somewhat  of  that  which  he 
found  to  write  of,  and  enable  us  to  see  some  things  worth  seeing 
through  his  youthful  eyes.  He  wrote  to  his  sister  Mary,  on  the 
23rd  of  July,  of  the  place  and  college : 

"This  place  is  not  very  remarkable  for  anything  at  all  except  povert}-, 
for  the  College  stands  in  the  middle  of  an  old  field  full  of  gullies  and 
weeds,  and  the  cows  of  the  neighborhood  come  up  to  the  very  windows 


While  Student  at  Hampden-Sidney.  39 

with  their  bells,  making  such  a  noise  that  I  cannot  study.  .  .  .  The 
college  is  a  great  brick  building,  four  stories  high.  It  has  forty-eight 
rooms  in  it  besides  the  public  rooms,  making  fifty-three  in  all.  The 
rooms  are  large  enough  to  accommodate  three  persons  each." 

We  must  remember  that  he  is  speaking-  of  the  campus  as  it 
was  in  1836.  The  campus  is  now  an  unusually  beautiful  one, 
well  grassed  and  adorned  with  magnificent  oaks. 

At  that  period  the  Fourth  of  July  was  celebrated  with  as 
much  patriotism  as  it  is  to-day,  and  the  Fourth  of  July,  1837. 
is  described  as  follows,  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  William,  writ- 
ten on  the  sixth : 

"The  celebration  began  with  one  or  two  orations  from  each  of  the 
literary  societies,  and  you  must  feel  enough  sympathy  for  me  to  rejoice 
that,  in  the  opinion  of  the  ladies  at  least,  our  speakers  were  the  best. 
[He  was  a  member  of  the  Philanthropic  Society.]  We  then  had  a 
dinner,  to  which  the  Faculty  and  all  those  persons  in  the  neighborhood 
who  were  once  members  of  college  were  invited.  We  employed  our- 
selves some  time  in  drinking  patriotic,  witty  and  Whiggish  toasts.  The 
Faculty  took  a  very  popular  course.  They  mixed  with  the  students, 
and  considered  themselves  on  an  equality  with  them.  To  show  you  the 
freedom  which  prevailed,  I  will  give  you  two  toasts  which  were  pre- 
sented by  the  same  student,  and  were  taken  in  very  good  part  by  the 
Faculty.  The  first  was,  'Mr.  Powers,  Professor  of  Mathematics :  may 
his  character  prove  as  impervious  to  the  shafts  of  calumny  as  the 
differential  calculus  is  to  the  minds  of  the  Junior  Class.'  The  differential 
calculus  is  a  study  in  the  junior  year,  which  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  understand.  The  second  toast  was,  'The  size  is  nothing  important 
if  the  head  and  heart  are  right,  as  is  exemplified  in  the  present  members 
of  the  Faculty.'  Now,  you  must  know  that  all  the  professors  are  mere 
pigmies,  except  Dr.  Carrol.  The  old  Doctor  was  so  much  pleased  with 
this  that  the  glasses  and  everything  around  him  were  threatened  with 
very  serious  effects  from  his  obstreperous  mirth.  Another  toast  was, 
'The  tree  of  knowledge  in  Prince  Edward  :  it  is  different  from  every 
other  tree  in  that  the  beauties  are  at  (the)  Root's.'  But  these  doubtless 
appeared  more  witty  when  the  wine  had  made  us  good-hearted  than 
they  do  now.  There  was  not  much  wine  drunk,  although  one  or  two 
of  the  students  were  overtaken.  In  the  evening  the  Root  of  the  Tree 
of  Science  gave  a  kind  of  musical  performance.  The  girls  mounted  a 
kind  of  stage  or  rostrum,  where  the  piano  was  placed,  and  played  and 
sang  before  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons.  Some  of  them  were 
very  much  confused,  but  some  of  them  were  wholly  unconcerned.  All 
of  them  must  become  so  if  they  stay  there  long,  for  at  examinations 
it  is  much  worse  than  it  was  to-day." 


40  Life  and  Letters  of  Roisekt  Lewis  Dadnev. 

Mr.  Root,  referred  to  in  the  last  quotation,  conducted  a  large 
female  school  at  the  court-house  village,  now  called  Worsham. 
That  school  presented  the  same  sort  of  attractions  to  the 
Hampden-Sidney  students  of  that  time  that  the  present  resi- 
dents in  the  State  Normal  School  for  Young  Women,  in  Farm- 
ville,  do  for  our  young  men  in  Hampden-Sidney  to-day. 
Young  Dabney  was  himself  drawn  occasionally  to  the  root  of 
science,  or  at  any  rate  within  the  sacred  precincts.  But  while 
he  suffered  attraction  thitherward,  he  propounds  criticism  of 
the  methods  in  vogue  in  this  female  school  that  would  have 
astounded  Mr.  Root  and  his  whole  school,  and  perhaps  the 
community.  This  school  is  a  subject  on  which  he  writes  at 
length.  It  furnished  the  desired  occasion  for  the  exhibition  of 
his  views  on  female  education.  Many  of  these  views  he  cher- 
ished to  his  later  years.  He  at  this  early  period  regarded  the 
piano  as  an  overvalued  instrument ;  he  tells  us  that  he  had 
never  heard  but  one  person  play  whose  playing,  in  itself  con- 
sidered, was  worth  listening  to,  that  there  were  smaller  instru- 
ments out  of  which  more  music  could  be  gotten ;  that  too  much 
attention  was  paid,  in  female  education,  to  mere  "intellectual 
varnishing,"  not  enough  to  the  solid  furnishing  of  the  intellect 
and  upbuilding  of  character.  He  wished  the  females  in  whom 
he  was  interested  to  be  taught  in  good  home  schools,  too,  or  at 
most,  only  in  small  private  schools,  and  he  desired  that  none  of 
their  native  modesty  should  be  rubbed  off. 

In  his  letters,  he  gives,  naturally,  a  full  account  of  himself: 
his  room,  and  how  he  kept  it,  his  relations  and  life  with  his 
fellow-students,  and  with  the  members  of  the  faculty,  and  with 
such  members  of  the  community  as  he  came  into  contact  with. 
He  wrote,  too,  about  things  back  at  home.  He  is  deeply  inter- 
ested in  his  brother's  affairs  of  heart,  has  much  advice  to  give, 
urges  persistence  in  his  suit,  argues  and  encourages  as  long  as 
there  is  a  possibility  of  success.  With  his  mother  he  discusses 
all  her  farming  and  milling  operations,  keeps  up  with  the  state 
of  the  crops,  and  probable  prices  of  wheat,  corn  and  tobacco, 
and  so  forth.  He  was  especially  interested  in  his  younger 
brother.  George  Francis,  whom  he  encourages  to  study,  and  to 
try  to  break  himself  of  stammering.  He  does  not  wish  him  to 
be  a  physician,  but  a  lawyer  or  preacher,  and,  therefore,  to  culti- 
vate eloquence.  Even  thus  early  he  had  a  peculiarly  strong 
affection  for  his  youngest  sister — a  lovely  child  and  maiden. 
He  advises  his  mother  as  to  her  studies,  as  well  as  to  "Frank's" 


While  Student  at  Hampden-Sidney.  41 

(George  Francis'),  sends  her  messages,  and  pleads  for  letters 
from  her — at  least,  for  dictated  messages. 

These  letters  make  it  clear  as  the  sun  that  he  bore  to  all  the 
members  of  his  family  very  tender  love.  They  make  it  equally 
clear  that  he  was  just. as  much  loved  and  admired  by  them. 
The  members  of  his  family  seem  to  have  referred  to  him  often 
by  the  pet  phrase,  "The  old  gentleman."  His  attitude  toward 
the  rest  would  suggest  and  justify  this  phrase;  for  he  took 
thought  at  this  early  period  for  mother,  brothers  and  sisters. 

As  the  end  of  the  summer  session  of  1837  approached,  he 
decided  to  discontinue  his  studies  in  the  college,  a  step  which 
he  took  not  without  regret.  On  the  i8th  of  September,  1837,  he 
writes : 

"I  now  sit  down  to  write  what  I  suppose  will  be  my  last  letter  to 
you  from  this  place.  ...  I  look  forward  to  the  prospect  of  leaving 
these  dreary  walls  with  a  good  deal  of  pleasure,  although  I  have  enjoyed 
much  happiness  in  them.  If  I  had  no  home  to  go  to,  I  would  as  soon 
stay  here  as  in  any  place  I  know,  if  not  rather.  Although  all  the 
external  appearances  are  uncomfortable  and  repelling,  few  persons  ever 
come  here  without  regretting  their  departure.  I  do  not  know  whether 
the  excellence  is  in  the  people,  for  they  do  not  seem  to  me  to  be  more 
than  usually  kind  and  hospitable,  but  so  it  is.  I  have  always  been 
treated  with  the  utmost  politeness  whenever  I  have  become  acquainted." 

Of  his  reasons  for  leaving  he  gives  somewhat  in  a  previous 
letter,  written  on  September  ist.  After  indulging  in  some 
remarks  concerning  the  peculiar  pleasures  and  dignities  await- 
ing the  senior  class  of  i837-"38,  he  says : 

"But  I  would  not  have  you  think  that  I  regret  leaving  college.  If 
it  was  so,  I  should  not  think  of  these  idle  advantages,  but  rather  of 
the  opportunity  for  study.  I  know  that  it  will  be  more  advantageous 
to  me  to  teach  than  to  study  now,  and  I  will  return  at  a  time  when  I 
shall  be  better  qualified  by  my  age  to  make  full  use  of  all  the  circum- 
stances which  surround  a  student." 

He  had  other  reasons  of  which  he  was  not  so  careful  to  speak 
to  his  mother.  He  has  left  a  record  of  them  elsewhere.  His 
widowed  mother  was  somewhat  in  debt.  She  was,  also,  under 
the  necessity  of  rebuilding  her  mill  at  that  time.  The  rents 
from  that  property  were  absorbed  in  the  enterprise.  Young 
Dabney  was  determined  not  to  further  burden  her.  but,  on  the 
contrary,  to  help  her  in  the  work  of  rebuilding.  He  had  been 
discussing  the  best  kind  of  water-wheels  with  Dr.  Draper  and 


42  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

his  brother  Wilham  for  months ;  but  he  was  ready  for  any  sort 
of  work,  as  we  shall  see,  to  set  his  mother  on  comfortable 
footing. 

We  wish  we  could  know  exactly  what  the  people  of  Hamp- 
den-Sidney  thought  of  this  young  man,  who  looked  so  closely 
at  them,  and  discussed  them  so  keenly,  and  yet  so  generously. 
Tradition  says  they  thought  him  to  be  a  great,  strong  fellow, 
with  noble  traits,  but  wanting  in  the  graces.  The  faculty's 
report  sent  on  the  25th  of  September,  1837,  and  covering  the 
whole  session  then  ending,  and  claiming  to  be  a  "correct  and 
impartial  statement  of  the  conduct  and  proficiency  of  each 
student,"  assigns  to  him  the  most  distinguished  rank  in  scholar- 
ship, the  most  distinguished  rank  in  behavior,  and  the  most 
distinguished  rank  in  industry,  which  its  rules  provided  for  the 
recognition  of.  He  was  the  only  representative  of  his  class 
thus  highly  ranked.  This  report  was  accompanied  by  a  letter 
from  the  president  of  the  college,  which  may  be  presented  in 
full : 

"Mrs.  Dabney: 

"Dear  Madam, — I  feel  great  regret  that  your  son  Robert  should 
be  interrupted  in  his  studies  by  teaching  or  from  any  other  cause.  He 
is  now  prepared  to  enter  the  Senior  Class  with  great  advantage,  and  to 
complete  his  studies  under  circumstances  more  favorable  to  his  scholar- 
ship than  he  can  hope  hereafter.  The  Faculty  have  unanimously  agreed 
that  if  he  will  continue  they  will  not  require  of  him  the  tuition  fees 
for  the  next  year  till  some  future  period  when  it  may  be  convenient 
for  him  to  pay.  I  hope  that  Robert  has  experienced  a  great  change 
in  his  religious  feelings  lately,  and  this  is  an  additional  reason  why 
we  wish  him  to  continue  his  education  without  interruption.  If  you 
can  make  such  an  arrangement  as  to  send  him  back  the  next  session 
it  will  be  greatly  to  his  advantage.  You  have  great  reason,  madam, 
to  be  thankful  to  God  for  giving  j-ou  such  a  son. 

''Yours,  etc.. 

"D.    L.    C.VRROl.." 

The  greatest  thing  in  the  relations  of  any  man  is  his  relation 
to  God.  There  is  nothing  strange,  therefore,  in  an  assertion 
of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney,  when  long  past  his  threescore  years 
and  ten,  viz.,  "The  most  important  event  of  this  period  to  me 
was  my  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,"  in  September,  1837.  He 
announces  his  change  to  his  mother,  in  a  letter  of  the  i8th  of 
that  month.  He  tells  his  mother  that  he  heard  indirectly  of  the 
death  of  his  little  niece,   infant   daughter  of  his   sister,    ■Mrs. 


While  Student  at  Hampden-Sidney.  43 

Payne,  expresses  his  inability  to  form  any  idea  of  what  a  parent 
must  feel  in  such  a  situation,  and  then  continues : 

"I  pray  most  sincerely  that  this  may  be  made  by  God  a  benefit  to 
their  piety.  You  will  be  somewhat  surprised,  my  dear  mother,  to  hear 
me  talk  in  this  way;  but,  by  the  grace  of  Christ,  I  have  been  made  to 
think  at  least  a  little  about  my  sins  and  my  eternal  salvation.  There  has 
been  a  great  deal  of  feeling  in  the  college  for  a  few  days,  and  about 
twelve  of  the  students  have  become  religious.  I  know  I  need  not  ask 
you  to  remember  both  your  son  and  his  fellow-students  in  your  prayers. 
I  am  afraid  that  the  revival  is  dying  away  very  fast ;  but  we  ought  to 
be  thankful  for  what  has  already  been  done.  Dr.  Carrol  has  had  meet- 
ings every  night  for  nearly  a  week,  and  Mr.  Taylor  (professor  in  the 
Seminary)  and  others  sometimes  attend.  Mr.  Taylor  was  here  last 
night." 

Throughout  his  life,  Dr.  Dabney  continued  to  think  of  this 
as  a  time  when  "the  college  was  visited  by  a  powerful  and 
genuine  awakening." 

At  the  close  of  the  session,  in  the  end  of  that  September,  he 
returned  to  his  mother's,  and  later  on  in  the  autumn,  at  Provi- 
dence Church,  and  from  the  hands  of  his  mother's  pastor,  Mr. 
Wharey,  he  partook  of  his  first  communion.  What  were  his 
thoughts?  Would  that  he  had  been  away  from  home,  that  to 
his  dear  ones  there  he  might  have  recounted  what  it  W'as  to 
him.  It  remained  a  memorable  day  in  his  life.  Toward  the 
evening  of  it  he  said,  "Since  that  day  my  face  has  ever  been 
turned  Zionward,  thoush  with  sad  defections  of  dutv.'' 


CHAPTER    \V. 

EARLY  EFFORTS  TO  AID  HIS  MOTHER. 
(October,  1837-Dcccnilicr  9,  1839.) 

Working  ix  Ql'akry. — His  First  School. — The  Sum:mer  of  1838. — 
His  Second  School. — Visit  to  his  Aunt,  ^Irs.  Reuben  Lewis, 
of  Albemarle  County,  in  1839. — The  Invitation  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lewis. — His  Correspondents  the  Meanwhile. 

YOUNG  Dabney  was  very  much  in  earnest  in  his  purpose 
not  to  be  a  burden,  but  a  help  to  his  widowed  mother. 
He  reached  home  late  in  September,  1837,  fixed  in  this  resolu- 
tion, and  he  spent  the  rest  of  that  year  in  the  stone  quarry,  and 
on  the  boat  transporting-  stone,  which  was  needed  in  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  mill.  We  may  think  of  this  youth  of  seventeen  years 
aiul  a  half,  whom  the  members  of  his  family  lovingly  referred 
to  as  "the  old  gentleman,"  or  "the  old  man,"  who  had  won  the 
plaudits  of  professors  and  fellow-students  for  talents,  industry 
and  bearing  of  the  most  distinguished  sort,  as  suitably  garbed, 
and  holding  a  drill,  or,  it  may  be,  driving  it  with  a  sledge- 
hammer, or  straining  with  a  lever  to  move  a  block  of  stone, 
helping  to  steer  and  propel  the  boat  on  which  it  is  being  carried 
to  its  destination.  He  shows  the  quality  here  of  the  primordial 
mass  of  his  manhood.  He  is  the  son  of  a  slave-holder.  His 
mother  owns  slaves,  but  she  is  somewhat  straitened  in  her 
business.  He  will  not  be  a  burden  to  her;  he  will  help  her. 
There  is  nothing  wrong  or  dishonorable  in  manual  labor ;  he 
will  work  with  his  own  hands,  that  his  mother's  burdens  may 
be  made  lighter.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Randolph  Dabney  may  have 
gone  and  looked  at  her  son  engaged  in  these  labors,  and  thought 
of  Dr.  Carroll's  words.  "You  have  great  reason  to  be  thankful 
to  God.  madam,  that  he  has  given  you  such  a  son."  She  may 
verv  well  liave  felt  that  she  was  getting  new  proof  of  the  truth 
of  those  words. 

On  the  15th  of  January.  1838,  he  opened  a  neighborhood 
school.  At  this  time  he  lacked  one  month  and  twenty  days  of 
being  eighteen  years  old.  The  cal^n  in  which  he  taught  was 
similar  to  the  one  in  whicii  he  had  been  taught  bv  Mr.  Caleb 


Early  Efforts  to  Aid  His  ]Mother.  45 

Burnley.  This  cabin  he  helped  to  build  with  his  own  hands. 
There  were  about  seventeen  pupils,  boys  and  girls.  His  brother 
Frank  (and  his  sister  Betty,  perhaps)  was  among  the  number. 
So  far  as  was  known,  he  was  a  faithful  and  efficient  teacher. 
It  was  important  to  him  chiefly  as  bringing  him,  clear  money, 
about  three  hundred  dollars. 

The  summer  of  1838  he  seems  to  have  devoted  to  farming 
operations,  and  the  winter  following  he  seems  to  have  given  to 
the  pursuits  of  the  planter. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  and  the  autumn  of  1839 
he  taught  a  second  school.  This  school  was  held  about  four 
miles  west  of  his  mother's,  in  a  log  cabin  near  Col.  William 
Harris's.  The  benches  on  which  the  pupils  sat  had  no  backs. 
He  w^alked  all  this  distance  of  four  miles  night  and  morning, 
his  brother  Frank  accompanying  him.  This  school  brought 
him  in  another  three  hundred  dollars.  The  two  schools  together 
had  covered  a  period  of  about  ten  months,  and  together  they 
had  netted  him  six  hundred  dollars.  The  last  of  the  two  closed 
early  in  December,  1839. 

Aleanwhile.  in  the  early  part  of  the  summer  of  1839.  l^e  had 
gone,  riding  a  colt,  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Reuben 
Lewis,  of  Albemarle  county.  She  lived  not  far  from  Charlottes- 
ville, the  seat  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  an  institution 
whose  advantages  he  had  for  years  hoped  some  day  to  enjov. 
In  all  the  South,  and,  indeed,  in  all  the  land,  there  was  no  place 
with  more  of  fame  for  the  character  of  the  work  done  by  the 
students  who  were  graduated.  It  had  amongst  its  professors 
men  of  national  reputation.  The  institution  was  established  on 
a  basis  more  liberal  and  enlightened  than  any  other  in  our 
country  at  the  time,  and  had  already  won  a  reputation  abroad. 
While  on  this  visit  to  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  he 
attended  on  the  exercises  connected  with  the  close  of  the  Uni- 
versity session,  and  was  greatly  impressed  by  what  he  saw  and 
heard.  His  uncle  and  aunt  insisted  that  he  should  come  and 
live  with  them :  they  offered  to  give  him  board  and  lodging  for 
himself  and  his  horse,  and  urged  that  he  could  ride  thence  to 
the  University  and  back,  attend  the  lectures  and  thus  complete 
his  education.  This  was  not  an  offer  to  be  lightly  rejected,  nor 
did  it  take  young  Dabney  long  to  accept  it. 

Up  to  this  time  he  does  not  seem  to  have  abandoned  the  idea 
of  returning  to  Hampden-Sidney.  He  had  been  entreated 
repeatedly  to  return,  by  his  student  friends,  and  amongst  them. 


46  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Moses  Drury  Hoge.  In  August,  1839,  M^-  Hoge  writes, 
expressing  the  hope  that  they  may  be  cohege-mates  again  and 
class-mates.  In  September,  1839,  ^^^  wrote  again,  urging  vari- 
ous reasons  for  his  friend  Dabney's  return,  one,  at  least,  of 
which  is  worthy  of  repeating.  It  is  put  by  Mr.  Hoge  as  fol- 
lows : 

"The  other  day,  Mr.  Maxwell"  (who  was  made  president  in  1838) 
"was  talking  to  me  of  the  prospects  of  the  College,  and  said  that  it  was 
his  intention  to  get  two  tutors  as  soon  as  possible;  and  asked  me  if  I 
knew  of  a  young  man  who  would  answer  his  purpose.  I  immediately 
gave  him  an  account  of  you,  and  he  requested  me  to  sound  you  on 
the  subject.  He  told  me  that  if  I  would  teach  two  or  three  years,  he 
would  send  me  to  Europe,  and  give  me  an  opportunity  to  fit  myself 
for  any  chair  I  pleased.  A  part  of  his  offers  I  declined,  for  I  am 
not  willing  to  make  any  engagement  that  would  preclude  the  possi- 
bility of  studying  divinity.  I  may  possibly  teach  in  the  College  and 
carry  on  my  studies  in  the  Seminary  at  the  same  time.  But  of  this 
hereafter.  It  is  Mr.  Maxwell's  plan  to  train  young  men  for  professor- 
ships, by  first  making  them  tutors ;  and  although  a  tutorship  must  be 
no  temptation  to  you,  if  you  intend  to  teach,  you  might  not  object  to 
being  a  professor.  I  hope  you  will  reflect  on  this  seriously.  I  regret 
that  you  cannot  come  in  the  fall  and  have  a  conversation  with  Mr. 
Maxwell  yourself." 

The  venerable  widow  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Holt  Rice  also 
urged  and  entreated  her  "young-  friend  Mr.  Dabney"  to  return 
to  Hampden-Sidney.  This  noble  woman  was  one  of  his  most 
regular,  and,  we  must  believe,  one  of  his  most  helpful  corres- 
pondents in  this  period.  He  entertained  a  most  respectful  and 
profound  regard  for  her  character  then,  and  continued  to 
cherish  her  memory  throughout  his  long  and  full  life.  Certainly 
she  wrote  affectionately,  tenderly,  and  wisely  to  him  of  his 
Christian  life.  Here  are  some  of  her  words,  on  the  T3th  of 
February,  1838: 

"I  trust  you  will  make  your  religion  serviceable  to  you  in  every 
thought  and  action.  It  is  of  little  avail  if  our  religion  is  not  in  con- 
tinual practice,  if  it  is  not  interwoven  in  our  very  system.  Oh !  how 
much  Christians  lose  by  not  being  more  entirely  Christian,  and  how 
much  good  they  lose  the  privilege  of  doing,  and  how  much  reproach 
they  bring  on  the  cause  of  the  blessed  Redeemer,  who  gave  his  life 
a  ransom  for  all  who  believe  and  trust  and  obey  him !  I  wish  you  to 
take  a  higher  stand  than  the  common  Christians.  How  little  use  is  it 
to  pretend  to  be  a  Christian  at  all,  when  the  case  is  so  doubtful  to  all 
and  even  to  ourselves.    I  wish  you  to  enjoy  all  the  blessed  and  gracious 


Early  Efforts  to  Aid  His  Mother.  47 

promises  and  truths  of  God's  Word;  to  have  that  faith  which  will  purify 
3'our  heart  and  work  by  love;  that  will  ever  lead  you  to  do  good,  and 
in  every  way  be  useful.  Oh !  it  is  worth  all  labor,  self-denial  and 
exertion  to  be  found  so  engaged  as  at  last  to  have  it  pronounced,  'Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant.'  I  trust  you  will  make  the  Bible,  and 
not  other  professors,  your  rule  and  guide.  Shrink  not  from  any  duty, 
however  difficult  and  painful ;  and  diligently  seek  for  duties." 

Her  letters  to  him  abound  in  homilies  similarly  helpful.  This 
venerated  lady  to  whom  he  wrote,  often  two  letters  to  her  one, 
makes  it  her  business  to  urge  him  to  return  to  Hampden-Sidney. 
She  began  this  as  early  as  November,  1838.  She  says,  in  a 
letter  of  the  22nd  of  that  month : 

"Though  I  now  have  a  good  many  letters  pressing  on  my  hands,  yet 
I  cannot  delay  yours,  if  anything  I  can  say  will  aid  in  deciding  so 
important  a  point  as  your  next  year's  college  course.  I  must  say  that 
Mr.  Maxwell  .  .  .  seems  to  take  hold  of  the  poor  old  College  with 
the  right  spirit ;  and  that  every  son  of  Virginia,  and  especially  Pres- 
byterians, ought  to  hold  up  his  hands,  and  aid  him  in  every  way  in 
their  power.  This  I  would  by  no  means  wish  you  to  do  to  the  least 
injury  of  yourself  or  your  dear  young  brother.  Everj'  man  must,  in  a 
great  measure,  form  himself,  or  he  will  not  be  a  good  scholar  or 
anything  else;  and  I  should  think  recitations  preferable  to  lectures  for 
undergraduates.  The  College,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  is  now  going  on 
admirably.  Mr.  Maxwell  says  his  duties  thus  far  are  pleasures ;  and 
we  are  apt  to  attend  well  to  what  is  a  pleasure.  He  says  he  has  to 
study  hard,  but  he  seems  to  enjoy  it.  He  talks  much  of  putting  the 
place  in  thorough  repair,  and  making  it  attractive  by  having  fine  fruits, 
trees,  pleasure  walks,  and  so  forth,  and  of  doing  everything  to  improve 
and  please,  to  benefit  and  render  the  students  comfortable  and  happ}'. 
Professor  Smith  [this  gentleman  was  soon  to  become  the  head  of  the 
\'irginia  Military  Institute]  is  said  to  be  a  fine  officer.  He  wishes  to 
put  the  College  under  complete  martial  law,  and  make  it  a  sort  of 
West  Point.  Mr.  Maxwell  is  very  anxious  to  make  a  truly  Christian 
college,  and  for  this,  I  believe,  ardently  prays.  Now,  although  the 
College  has  not  been  patronized  by  the  State,  it  has  been  a  patron  of 
the  State,  and  I  do  not  think  the  old  mother  should  be  neglected  for 
the  pampered  daughter,  who  has  sucked  all  the  literary  resources,  and 
yet  has  higher  expenses.  The  cost  there  is  considerably  greater,  and 
there  are  many  more  temptations  to  indulgence  and  extravagances.  And 
as  to  friends,  I  do  not  expect  you  have  one  near  there  more  interested 
in  you  than  I  am." 

In  a  letter  of  January  15,  1839,  she  again  speaks  in  praise  of 
Mr.   Maxwell's  administration,  and  of  the  college  generally; 


48  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

says  that  the  students  are  becoming  better  pleased ;  mentions 
Mr.  Hoge  as  a  special  instance  of  this,  and  says,  "They  have 
talked  of  writing  to  you,  and  perhaps  have,  and  can  tell  you 
much  more  than  I  can." 

On  the  <)th  of  April  following  she  wrote : 

"I  am,  of  course,  no  judge  of  college  matters.  But  Mr.  Maxwell 
seems  to  have  his  heart  so  much  in  the  work,  and  his  views  seem  to  me 
so  much  what  they  ought  to  be  in  relation  to  such  a  work,  that  I 
cannot  but  hope  he  is  doing  very  well,  and  that  if  he  can  be  sustained 
the  institution  will  yet  be  a  blessing  and  a  glory  to  our  State.  I  should 
have  no  doubt  of  his  success  if  it  was  not  for  this  lamentable  party 
strife." 

The  reference  is  to  the  conflict  between  the  New  and  Old 
School  Churches,  with  the  spirit  of  which  this  good  lady  had 
no  sympathy.  She  thought  that  the  defenders  of  correct  prin- 
ciples had  shown  a  want  of  Christian  charity  in  dealing  with 
their  opponents. 

On  the  i6th  of  July  she  wrote : 

"I  am  sorry  to  hear  there  will  be  any  difficulty  or  doubt  about  you 
and  your  brother's  coming  this  fall.  This  is  an  important  crisis  with 
the  good  old  College,  and  as  much  as  she  wants  money,  she  wants 
students  of  the  right  stamp  more,  and  you  know  how  much  our  country 
and  the  church  at  this  time  needs  her  sons  to  have  every  possible 
qualification  for  usefulness.  The  more  I  see  and  hear  of  Mr.  Maxwell's 
views  and  conduct  in  regard  to  college  matters,  the  more  I  approve 
and  wish  him  every  facility  for  success.  He  has  many  difficulties  to 
contend  with,  and  I  wish  him  to  have  the  aid  and  comfort  of  such  a 
pupil  as  my  own  young  friend.  This,  though,  would  not  influence  me 
if  I  did  not  feel  fully  assured  it  would  be  to  the  permanent  interest 
of  yourself  and  brother." 

Having  heard  of  the  offer  of  Mr.  Lewis,  near  the  L^niversity 
of  Virginia,  to  give  Mr.  Dabney  free  board,  Mrs.  Rice  wrote, 
on  the  22nd  of  September,  1839: 

"I  wish  I  were  in  a  situation  to  make  an  offer  that  might  equal 
your  good  aunt's.  I  think  it  of  considerable  importance  to  build  up  a 
good  Presbyterian  institution,  such  as  President  Maxwell  has  his  heart 
set  upon,  where  pure  morals  and  sound  learning  may  be  taught.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Maxwell  wishes  to  raise  officers  from  our  own  College  that  will 
feel  and  act  together,  and  strive  to  do  good  to  their  country  through 
the  College.  He  has  set  his  heart  on  Mr.  Hoge  and  young  Reid,  of 
Lynchburg,    and   Mr.    Hoge   recommends   you   as   a   suitable   person    to 


Early  Efforts  to  Aid  His  Mother.  49 

train  for  that  object,  and,  therefore,  Mr.  Maxwell  wishes  to  get  you 
here.  ...  I  think  this  may  be  to  your  advantage,  and  open  a  field 
for  great  usefulness  for  you.  I  am  sure  I  am  not  making  calculations 
for  the  gratification  of  my  old  age.  Yet  it  would  be  gratifying  to  have 
such  young  friends  settled  around  me.  As  far  as  I  can  see,  Mr.  Max- 
well has  very  just  views  for  managing  and  conducting  the  College,  and 
I  wish  him  to  have  help." 

These  letters  were  no  doubt  gratifying"  to  young  Dabney,  and 
helpful  because  of  their  appreciation ;  but  we  cannot  doubt  that 
he  chose  wisely,  being  as  mature  in  mind  and  character  as  he 
was,  and  Hampden-Sidney  not  being  perfectly  organized,  in 
going  to  the  place  of  larger  opportunities,  albeit  it  was  also  the 
place  of  greater  danger.  The  course  which  might  have  proved 
hazardous  in  the  extreme  to  others  was  not  so  to  him,  and  he 
was  too  large  a  man  to  have  been  able  to  look  forward  con- 
tentedly to  a  mere  professorship  in  the  Hampden-Sidney  of 
his  dav. 


CHAPTER  V. 

LIFE  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  I'IRGIXIA. 
(December  g,  1839-July  5,  1842.) 

The  University  of  Virginia  at  the  Time. — Youn'g  Dabxey's  View 
OF  THE  University,  of  Professors  Bonnycastle,  Powers  and 
Sylvester,  Rodgers  and  Emmet,  Tucker  and  Harrison. — His 
Views  of  the  Student  Body,  and  the  Murder  of  Professor 
Davis. — Views  of  the  Community.— His  Painstaking  Efforts  as 
a  Student,  and  his  Achievements  in  the  Several  Sessions. — 
Attempts  at  Composition. — Christian  Work  in  Behalf  of  his 
Fellow-Students.  —  Member  of  a  Total  Abstinence  Society. — 
Beginning  of  his  Friendship  with  the  Rev.  Wm.  S.  White. — 
Gives  Attention  to  Politics,  Slavery,  to  his  Mother's  Farming 
Operations. — Teaches  his  Brother  Francis  while  at  the  Uni- 
versity.— Interest  in  his  Sister  Betty. — Some  of  his  Corre- 
spondents.— Funds  with  which  he  got  through  the  University. 

THE  period  1839  to  1842  was  one  of  change  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia.  The  changes  in  the  Faculty  at  Hampden- 
Sidney  had  been  a  factor  in  producing  the  dissatisfaction  with 
that  institution  on  the  part  of  young  Dabney.  It  was  his 
destiny,  however,  to  enter  the  University  at  a  time  of  equal 
change.  He  was  to  see  the  distinguished  head  of  the  Law 
School  cut  down  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  an  assassin,  and,  in 
■consequence,  the  election  of  first  a  locum  tenens,  and  then 
another  head  of  the  school.  He  was  to  see  Prof.  Bonnycastle 
pass  away,  and  Mr.  Powers,  who  had  been  his  friend,  and 
much-admired  mathematical  professor  at  Hampden-Sidney,  put 
into  Prof.  Bonnycastle's  place  for  a  year  as  locuui  tenens,  and 
then  to  see  the  place  filled  by  Mr.  Sylvester  for  one  session. 
He  was  to  see  Prof.  Blsetterman's  place  taken  by  another,  and 
still  other  similar  changes.  He  was  to  have  occasion  to  con- 
demn the  early  fondness  of  the  Visitors  of  the  University  for 
foreigners  as  professors.  This  fondness  Mr.  Jefferson  was 
largely  responsible  for.  The  original  body  of  professors  with 
whom  the  Univeristy  had  begun  in  the  year  1825  contained 
only  three  from  the  United  States,  viz.,  those  of  law,  chemistry, 
and  ethics.    Events  soon  showed  the  inability  of  these  foreign- 


Life  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  51 

€rs  to  understand  and  control  our  Virginia  youths.  Notwith- 
standing the  seeming  liberality  of  the  step,  it  was  not  a  wise  one, 
but  so  great  was  the  influence  of  the  sage  of  Monticello,  who 
was  the  first  rector,  as  well  as  the  founder  of  the  University, 
that  his  views,  including  this  particular  one,  continued  for  some 
time  after  his  death  to  dominate  the  movements  of  the  Board  of 
Visitors ;  but  these  changes,  some  of  them  untoward,  were  not 
without  certain  beneficial  results  to  our  subject.  An  era  of 
<:hange  in  an  institution  of  learning,  however  great  its  advan- 
tages to  idle  and  vicious  students,  is  attended  with  some  decided 
advantages  as  well  to  students  of  the  first  rank.  They  compare 
man  and  man  in  the  same  department,  and  develop  a  relative 
independence  and  originality  of  mind,  a  consciousness  of  force, 
and  a  readiness  to  bear  responsibilities  for  opinions. 

The  feeling  of  the  young  man  from  Louisa  was  one  of  partial 
disappointment  with  the  place  and  the  professors,  when  he  came 
to  take  a  nearer  view  of  the  LTniversity.  Of  the  place  he  wrote, 
■on  the  22nd  of  January,  1840 : 

"It  is  quite  a  pretty  place,  though  I  suspect  I  do  not  think  it  quite 
as  pretty  as  Mr.  Jefferson  used  to  think  it.  Almost  any  of  the  build- 
ings would  be  pretty  by  itself,  but  I  do  not  think  the  tout  ensemble 
is  very  lovely.  The  philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus  is  hardly  so 
^ood  as  would  be  expected,  not  better  than  that  at  Hampden-Sidney. 
They  have  a  library  of  16,000  volumes,  and  a  collection  of  some  thou- 
sands of  paintings  and  engravings,  but  the  books,  except  those  which 
relate  to  law  and  medicine,  are  mostly  written  in  French  and  German, 
and  the  paintings  have  no  room  to  be  put  into,  so  they  do  not  do  anybody 
much  good." 

A  week  before  he  had  written  of  the  teaching,  "The  instruc- 
tors here  display  a  good  deal  of  learning,  and  spread  through 
a  wide  range,  but,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  they  are  not  cal- 
culated to  push  on  any  one  who  does  not  study  of  his  own 
accord,  and  as  these  are  few^  the  classes  are  generally  very 
deficient." 

Of  Professors  Bonnycastle  and  Emmet,  he  says  that  they  are 
"English  cockneys,"  and,  further,  "their  manners  are  more 
imsuited  to  my  taste  than  the  manners  of  the  Yankees" ;  that 
Professor  "Bonnycastle  has  an  afifectation  of  originality  and 
independence  which  leads  him  to  desert  the  old  and  settled 
standards  of  science,  for  no  other  reason,  oftentimes,  than  be- 
cause they  are  old."    During  Mr.  Powers'  tenancy  of  the  chair, 


52  Life  and  Letters  of  Rop.ert  Lewis  Dabxev. 

he  wrote  that  while  Mr.  Powers  was  not  so  learned  a  man  as 
Prof.  Bonnycastle,  he  was  as  effective  a  teacher.^ 
On  October  25,  1840,  he  had  written  to  his  mother : 

"In  the  event  of  Mr.  Bonnycastlc's  death,  I  hope  Mr.  Powers  will 
get  the  place,  as  I  believe  him  fully  competent  to  make  as  good  a  pro- 
fessor as  Mr.  Bonnycastle,  although  not  so  learned  a  man,  and  more 
especially  because  he  is  one  of  our  own  people,  and  a  good  Baptist.  I 
do  not  like  much  to  see  the  high  stations  conferred  on  foreigners,  who 
have  no  sympathy  with  our  ways  of  feeling  and  our  manners,  and  no 
love  for  our  institutions.  Mr.  Powers  is  a  Virginian,  and  a  most  warm- 
hearted and  amiable  man.  I  consider  it  very  important,  also,  that  they 
should  get  as  many  religious  men  as  possible  into  the  Faculty,  and  I 
do  not  at  all  regret  that  Mr.  Powers  is  not  a  Presbyterian.  It  is  best 
that  they  should  have  as  great  a  variety  of  sects  as  possible,  to  guard 
against  the  imputation  of  sectarianism.  They  have  now  an  Episcopalian 
and  a  Methodist,  with  sundry  infidels,  Unitarians,  and  so  forth." 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1840,  he  writes: 

"We  have  received  the  last  of  our  assortment  of  professors,  as  I 
suppose  you  have  heard.  Mr.  Sylvester  arrived  about  a  fortnight  ago, 
and  was  received  by  the  students  with  an  illumination  and  other  demon- 
strations of  respect,  such  as  burning  tar-barrels,  yelling  and  such  like 
dignified  and  manly  proceedings.  But,  perhaps,  if  he  knew  how  much 
of  this  to  set  down  to  the  students'  love  of  frolic,  and  how  much  to 
their  good-will  to  him,  his  gratulations  to  himself  might  be  somewhat 
diminished.  They  will  probably  give  him  a  little  insight  into  this  matter, 
by  stoning  his  house  the  first  time  he  crosses  their  sovereign  will,  which 
will  be  very  soon  if  he  does  his  duty.  The  foolish  fondness  which  the 
University  people  have  always  shown  for  things  from  a  distance  is 
rebuked  in  his  instance,  and  I  am  heartily  glad  of  it.  They  were  dis- 
appointed in  him — more,  indeed,  than  they  had  reason  to  be,  for  I 
think  that  the  prospect  is  now  fully  as  good  as  they  had  reason  to 
expect.  They  thought  that  a  man  all  the  way  from  London,  recom- 
mended by  great  men,  and  titled  lords  and  bishops,  must  be  a  wonder 
in  every  respect.  They  were  looking  for  a  splendid  fellow,  who  was 
to  take  his  place  in  the  top  notch  of  public  estimation,  at  once  and 


'  When  the  several  representations  of  Mr.  Bonnycastle  made  by  Mr. 
Dabney  are  all  put  together,  they  constitute  no  unfavorable  picture; 
but  it  is  quite  possible  that  they  come  somewhat  short  of  even  justice. 
Mr.  Bonnycastle  was  not  only  a  great  teacher  and  a  man  of  com- 
manding talents,  l)Ut  of  ninisual  social  abilities  wlieii  he  chose  to  display 
them.  See  Tlioiitas  Jefferson  and  the  ['iiiT'crsity.  by  Herbert  B.  .\dams. 
Ph.  D..  pp.  117,  118. 


Life  at  the  Unj\-ersitv  of  Virginia.  53 

by  storm,  and  to  surpass  everything  that  was  ever  seen  in  his  mode 
of  instruction,  when  lo !  a  little,  bluff,  beef- fed  English  cockney,  per- 
fectly insignificant  in  his  appearance,  and  raw  and  awkward  in  his 
manners,  only  twenty-six  years  old,  deficient  in  the  faculty  of  giving 
instruction,  and  far  below  what  we  have  been  accustomed  to  in  a  lec- 
turer. You  may  guess  it  required  all  efforts  of  the  intended  admirers 
to  keep  their  countenances  from  falling.  The  students,  indeed,  made 
no  secret  of  their  disappointment;  but  the  Faculty  make  much  of  him, 
and  profess  that  they  are  highly  delighted.  He  is,  I  should  think,  from 
what  I  have  seen  of  him,  which  is  but  little,  a  fellow  of  excellent  sense 
and  good  acquirements  for  his  age,  but  not  at  all  superior  in  intellect 
to  Powers  and  many  others  among  us.  Practice,  I  hope,  may  give  him 
the  facility  of  imparting  his  ideas,  which  Mr.  Powers  possessed  in  a 
high  degree.  He  has  a  hearty,  open  countenance,  and  seems  to  be  an 
industrious,  lively  fellow.  So  that  I  hope  he  vyill  make  a  very  good 
professor,  although  I  do  not  think  he  has  any  of  that  imposing  great- 
ness which  Mr.  Bonnycastle  had,  and  which  the  people  expected  in  him. 
The  best  professors  in  the  institution  are  native  Virginians,  and  almost 
all  the  foreigners  have  had  some  difficulty  with  the  students  arising  out 
of  their  own  impudence,  so  that  I  hope  the  Visitors  will  learn  after 
awhile  to  be  satisfied  with  our  own  men." 

Of  Prof.  Rogers,  of  the  School  of  Natural  Philosophy,  he 
wrote  on  the  i6th  of  January,  1840: 

"Mr.  Rogers  is  a  very  good-natured  man  in  his  manners,  and.  I 
believe,  in  his  heart.  He  has  the  manners  of  a  Virginian,  too.  Mr. 
Rogers  is  rather  pompous  and  wordy  in  his  lectures  to  the  Junior  Class ; 
but  when  we  come  to  the  tug  of  war  in  the  Senior,  where  we  take  up 
the  mathematical  parts  of  the  subject,  we  find  him  an  accurate  scholar. 
I  expect  that  if  we  would  divest  ourselves  of  that  foolish  admiration 
of  that  which  comes  from  far  off,  we  should  consider  him  just  as  great 
a  man  as  Mr.  Bonnycastle.  His  exterior  accomplishments  are  certainly 
much  greater." 

In  the  same  letter  he  writes  of  Prof.  Emmet : 

"Dr.  Emmet  seems  to  be  more  familiar  with  the  routine  of  the 
lecture-room,  because  he  has  been  lecturing  so  long,  than  Dr.  Draper, 
but  I  doubt  if  he  is  a  better  chemist.  He  is  certainly  not  so  great  an 
enthusiast  in  the  science." 

On  the  I2th  of  March,  1840,  he  wrote: 

"There  is  in  some  odd  corner  of  the  laws  of  the  University  a  clause 
requiring  every  student  to  satisfy  the  Faculty  of  his  ability  to  write 
English  correctly  before  he  can  receive  any  diploma.     They  make  this 


54  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

the  foundation  for  the  most  pestilent  examination  in  the  whole  session. 

This  year  the  director  of  the  affair  is  ,  who  I  should  think,  if  I 

believed  in  the  transmigration  of  souls,  contains  the  spirits  of  all  the 
pettifogers  that  ever  were  born.  .  .  .  The  old  granny  has  a  whole 
raft  of  whimsical  notions  about  the  terms  in  common  use,  and  requires 
us  to  come  into  them.  Consequently,  those  who  have  not  heard  his 
lectures  on  rhetoric,  or  found  out  his  hobbies  somehow  or  other,  stand 
but  a  poor  chance.  I  have  no  expectation  of  getting  through  as  long 
as  he  has  anything  to  do  with  it." 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1840,  he  writes  to  his  brother  Wil- 
liam : 

"You  have  heard,  I  suppose,  that  Dr.  Blsetterman  is  dispensed  with. 
His  dismission  causes  universal  joy  amongst  the  ladies,  who  consider 
his  family  discipline  too  dangerous  a  precedent  to  be  permitted  in  their 
vicinity.  I  have  substituted  in  the  place  of  his  ticket  (Modern  Lan- 
guages) Moral  Philosophy.  I  find  the  professor  very  dull  and  unin- 
teresting, which  is  peculiarly  unfortunate  on  this  subject,  where  so 
much  depends  on  the  perspicuity  of  the  teacher.  Our  text-book,  also, 
is  written  in  a  very  diffuse,  obscure  style,  and  what  with  that  and  the 
impalpable  nature  of  the  subject,  the  matter  is  confusion  worse  con- 
founded, by  the  time  the  professor  has  stumbled     .     .     .     over  it." 

Of  Prof.  Gessner  Harrison  he  speaks  only  good. 

Of  the  student  body  in  his  day  he  tells  us  that  the  "big  men"' 
of  the  time  took  pride  in  sending  their  sons  to  the  University,, 
and  that  there  were  wild,  dissipated  young  prodigals  there- 
Writing  to  his  mother,  on  the  25th  of  October,  1840,  he  says : 

"Those  students  who  are  able,  and  are  not  prevented  by  principle, 
dress  in  a  most  extravagant  manner.  I  will  give  you  a  list  of  the  part 
of  one  of  their  wardrobes,  which  I  am  acquainted  with.  Imprimis, 
prunella  bootees,  then  straw-colored  pantaloons,  striped  pink  and  blue 
silk  vest,  with  a  white  or  straw-colored  ground,  crimson  merino  cravat, 
with  yellow  spots  on  it,  like  the  old-fashioned  handkerchief,  and  white 
kid  gloves  (not  always  of  the  cleanest),  coat  of  the  finest  cloth,  and 
most  dandified  cut,  and  cloth  cap,  trimmed  with  rich  fur.  They  do  not 
think  a  coat  wearable  for  more  than  two  months,  and  as  for  pantaloons 
and  vests,  the  number  they  consume  is  beyond  calculation.  These  are 
the  chaps  to  spend  their  $1,500  or  $2,000,  and  learn  about  three  cents 
worth  of  useful  learning  and  enough  rascality  to  ruin  them  forever. 
They  have  some  old  standing  belles,  who  bloom  with  all  the  persever- 
ance of  an  evergreen,  whom  they  flirt  with  as  their  daily  occupation." 

He  remarks  of  students  in  general,  ".Students  are  the  most 
inflammaljle  race  of  beings  that  ever  existed,  and  thev  must  be 


Life  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  55 

managed  with  the  greatest  promptness  and  skill,  for  when  they 
once  get  a  little  awry,  they  are'  perfectly  unmanageable,"  and 
he  continues  concerning  the  students  then  at  the  University : 

"If  the  students  who  are  here  now  are  to  set  the  measure  of  morality 
and  honor  among  the  people  in  the  succeeding  generation,  old  Virginia 
will  become  but  a  scurvy  place.  At  college  they  are  removed  pretty 
much  from  the  restraint  of  public  sentiment,  for  that  which  exists  in 
colleges  is  altogether  false  and  perverted;  and,  under  the  excuse  that 
they  are  sowing  their  wild  oats,  they  commit  all  sorts  of  vices.  The 
worst  of  it  is  that  these  wild  oats  they  sow  in  youth  will  yield  such  a 
tenfold  crop  of  seed  as  will  keep  them  sowing  all  their  lives.  Does 
that  deserve  the  name  of  principle,  which  measures  the  propriety  of 
actions  only  by  the  amount  of  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  public 
opinion?  Is  it  not  rather  sheer  selfishness?  Such  is  the  only  curb 
on  the  conduct  of  five-sixths  of  the  young  men  in  our  colleges,  as  far 
as  my  acquaintance  has  gone."' " 

Thus,  like  a  philosopher  of  vigorous  parts,  albeit  somewhat 
immature,  does  our  young  man,  in  homespun,  from  Cub  Creek, 
in  Louisa  county,  write  to  his  mother. 

His  opinion  of  the  character  of  the  student  body  at  the 
University,  during  his  years  there,  was  moulded  by  many  un- 
pleasant experiences.  Long  years  afterwards  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  remark  on  the  low  standard  of  honor  which  obtained 
amongst  some  of  his  fellow-students,  and  to  illustrate  it  by 
incidents  of  his  own  experience.  He  used  to  relate  that  on  one 
occasion,  during  an  examination,  his  attention  was  attracted  by 
the  rapidity  with  which  a  student  commenced  to  write  near 
him.  Suspecting  the  source  of  this  unwonted  inspiration,  he 
removed  his  own  written  papers,  so  that  they  could  not  be  seen. 
Whereupon  he  was  actually  requested  to  replace  them  where 
they  could  be  seen.  He,  of  course,  refused.  He  was  also  wont 
to  relate  that  once  while  there  he  picked  up  a  most  elaborate 
little  manuscript  book,  evidently  prepared  to  be  slipped  up  a 
man's  sleeve,  and  used  on  examination.  He  gave  it  to  the  pro- 
fessor having  charge  of  the  department.  They  both  regarded 
it  as  a  sort  of  wonder,  judging  that  it  must  have  cost  the  maker 
far  more  labor  than  would  have  been  necessary  to  honestly 
master  the  whole  subject. 

The  University  of  Virginia  student  body  of  to-day  has  a  fine 
reputation  for  honor.    It  is  the  peer  of  any  body  in  the  land,  and 

^  Letter  to  his  mother,  December  15,  1841. 


^6  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Daiixey. 

has  long  been  so.  Even  from  the  start  it  had  an  element  as 
noble  as  the  best  in  any  institutfon  of  the  whole  country ;  but  it 
took  some  time  for  the  spirit  of  honor  to  pervade  the  entire 
student  body  to  such  an  extent  as  now  obtains,  and  has  for 
decades — a  spirit  that  drives  from  its  midst  every  man  who 
attempts  to  cheat  his  way  through  an  examination. 

The  students  at  the  University  during  its  early  career  were 
noted  for  their  disorderly  behavior.  Mr.  JefTerson  had  advo- 
cated the  largest  liberty  to  the  students ;  he  had  contended  that 
by  appealing  to  their  reason,  their  hopes,  their  generous  feel- 
ings, their  honor,  and  their  manhood,  and  to  these  alone,  more 
could  be  done  than  by  multiplication  of  rules,  and  the  effort  to 
enforce  them.  Treat  them  as  self-governing  gentlemen,  and 
they  will  show  themselves  to  be  gentlemen.  The  students  did 
not  respond,  however,  as  expected.  Disorder  ran  riot,  the 
position  of  the  professors  became  intolerable,  they  suspended 
their  lectures,  and  tendered  their  resignations  to  the  Board 
of  Visitors.  The  board  met,  abandoned  their  plan  of  self- 
government,  and  ordered  a  course  of  rigid  discipline.  The 
Faculty  began  the  making  and  enforcing  of  many  petty  rules. 
One  rule,  requiring  the  students  to  retire  to  their  rooms  at  nine 
p.  M.^  and  to  remain  there  till  six  o'clock  next  morning,  which 
was  made  in  1S34,  the  students  flatly  refused  to  obey.  The 
Faculty  had  to  withdraw  the  requirement.  The  act  of  refusal, 
known  as  the  "Rebellion  of  1834,"  was  conducted  in  an  orderly 
manner,  but  was  the  occasion  of  much  subsequent  disorder." 

During  the  second  year  of  the  student  life  of  R.  L.  Dabney 
in  the  University,  one  of  these  outbreaks  of  disorder  culminated 
in  an  awful  tragedy,  the  murder  of  Prof.  Davis,  who  was  head 
of  the  Law  School,  and  one  of  the  most  efficient  officers  and 
professors  in  connection  with  the  institution.  Young  Dabney 
was  filled  with  horror  and  indignation  at  the  deed,  in  common 
with  all  the  nobler  element  of  the  student  body.  He  was 
honored  by  the  body  of  his  outraged  fellow-students  with  an 
appointment  on  a  committee  to  apprehend  the  eulprit.  He 
writes  of  the  matter,  and  of  his  feelings  on  the  subject,  to  his 
brother  William  as  follows : 


*  For  an  excellent  brief  sketch  of  early  discipline  in  the  University, 
see  Dr.  W.  Gordon  McCabe's  Virginia  Schools  Before  and  After  the 
Revolution,  etc.,  p.  43,  a  copy  of  which  has  been  put  into  our  hands  by 
Mr.  R.   Lee  Trayh)r,  of  Ricliniond.  Va. 


Life  at  the  University  of  A'irgixia.  57 

My  Dear  Brother:  ^  ^ 

"The  last  twenty-four  hours  have  been  the  most  fatiguing  and 
exciting  that  I  ever  went  through.  We  were  alarmed  last  night  by  the 
news  that  Mr.  Davis,  the  chairman  of  the  Faculty,  was  shot,  in  a  riot, 
which  was  held  in  commemoration  of  the  great  rebellion  of  four  (  ?) 
years  ago.  On  running  up  to  College,  we  found  a  dense  crowd  around 
his  door,  in  the  most  fearful  state  of  excitement,  awaiting  the  decision 
of  the  surgeons.  There  were  only  two  rioters  seen,  who  had  been 
firing  blank  cartridges  about  the  doors  of  the  professors,  masked  and 
disguised.  The  two  passed  freely  within  a  few  feet  of  the  peaceful 
students,  completely  concealed  by  their  disguises,  when  one  of  the 
students  told  them  to  take  care,  as  Mr.  Davis  was  on  the  watch,  near 
his  house.  One  of  the  two  immediately  walked  down  that  way,  loading 
his  pistol :  but,  in  addition  to  the  former  charge  of  powder,  he  was  seen 
to  put  in  a  ball,  ramming  it  down  against  the  wall  of  the  house  as  he 
went.  Nobody  at  that  time,  however,  suspected  anything,  or  felt  him- 
self authorized  to  interfere.  A  few  moments  after  another  report  was 
heard,  and  the  masked  figure  was  seen  making  off  across  the  lawn. 
Some  of  the  students  heard  groans,  and,  going  out,  found  Mr.  Davis 
down  and  unable  to  rise.  He  said  that  he  had  gone  out  to  preserve 
order;  that  he  saw  the  masked  figure,  attempted  to  take  hold  of  him 
and  take  off  the  mask,  but  that  he  dodged  him,  retreated  a  few  yards, 
and  then,  after  he  (Mr.  Davis)  had  ceased  to  pursue,  turned  and  fired. 
The  ball  entered  his  abdomen,  and  for  the  first  hour  the  physicians  could 
not  find  it,  so  that  the  greatest  apprehensions  were  felt  that  it  had 
entered  the  cavity  of  his  body,  and  that  his  case  was  desperate.  At 
last,  however,  they  found  it  below  the  hip-joint,  about  a  foot  from 
the  orifice  of  the  wound,  and  ascertained  that  it  had  glanced  around 
to  that  place  without  touching  any  mortal  part.  Still,  you  may  con- 
ceive that  a  wound  a  foot  in  extent,  and  by  a  rifled-barrelled  pistol, 
passing  through  the  groin  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  several  large 
nerves  and  arteries,  must  be  extremely  dangerous  and  painful.  There 
is  no  immediate  danger  now,  however,  and  the  wound  has  seemed 
favorable  thus  far.*  The  excitement  among  the  students  was  so  great, 
and  everybody  was  so  horror-struck,  that  no  immediate  steps  were  taken 
to  secure  the  criminal.  The  action  was  so  atrocious  that  it  is  impossible 
to  conceive  a  motive,  and  still  the  circumstances  are  such  that  we  cannot 
believe  it  to  have  been  accidental,  which  we  would  gladly  do  if  we 
could.  After  some  consultation  among  the  students,  suspicion  concen- 
trated so  much  on  one  individual  that  it  was  determined  to  send  a 
committee  of  the  students  in  search  of  him,  to  endeavor  to  get  some 
clue  to  the  matter.    We  went,  found  him,  and  made  all  the  investigation 

■*  Prof.  Davis  was  to  die  from  the  assassin's  wound,  nevertheless, 
within  a  few  days. 


58  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

the  hurried  and  excited  state  of  affairs  would  admit  of.  He  acknow- 
ledged having  been  one  of  the  rioters,  denied  the  act,  and  refused  to 
give  any  information  as  to  the  names,  disguises  or  motives  of  the  others. 
As  we  had  no  legal  authority,  we  were  obliged  to  release  him,  and  they 
very  foolishly  let  him  off,  taking  his  word  not  to  abscond.  But,  as 
you  may  guess,  before  the  warrant  for  his  apprehension  reached  College 
he  had  made  himself  scarce.  He  was  seen  this  morning  crossing  the 
fields,  and  an  active  pursuit  continued  the  best  part  of  the  day,  by  stu- 
dents and  civil  authorities,  for  the  former  had  held  a  meeting  earlj^ 
this  morning,  and  unanimously  offered  their  cooperation.  Some  circum- 
stances, however,  turned  up  to  make  us  believe  that  he  was  not  guilty, 
although  he  was  accessory,  and  the  suspicion  also  fell  strong  enough 
on  another  of  them  to  justify  his  arrest.  The  warrant  was  founded  on 
testimony  given  by  me,  and,  consequently,  I  am  placed  in  a  rather 
unenviable  position,  for  in  a  college  any  man  can  have  aiders  and 
abettors,  however  vile  he  may  be.  As  the  ofificers  of  the  law  had  been 
all  dispatched  after  the  other  man,  the  task  of  putting  the  warrant  into 
execution  was  committed  to  another  student  and  myself.  By  exerting 
some  caution  and  self-command,  the  warrant  was  executed  without  the 
violence  which  everybody  expected  would  have  been  resorted  to. 
Whether  the  crime  can  be  fixed  on  any  one,  I  do  not  know.  I  fear  the 
first  man  will  escape,  for  all  our  efforts  have  thus  far  been  unavailing. 
He  could  be  arrested  under  the  law  as  an  accessory,  and  if  we  had 
him,  I  doubt  not  we  should  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  matter.  Such  a 
crime  I  never  heard  of.  It  is  impossible  to  assign  any  probable  motive. 
Mr.  Davis  had  been  peculiarly  popular  this  session,  and  neither  of  the 
men  suspected  had  been  subjects  of  discipline  or  had  received  any  cause 
of  offence  whatever.  I  will  venture  to  say  that  no  crime  was  ever 
attended  with  more  tragical  scenes  and  more  exciting  scenes.  The 
young  men  who  carried  hiin  in  say  that  the  sight  of  Mrs.  Davis  and 
her  sufferings  was  painful  beyond  conception,  and  produced  emotions 
in  themselves  more  intense  than  they  had  ever  experienced.  Yet  when 
we  attempted  to  gain  some  information  from  him  to  enable  us  to 
identify  the  man,  she  prevented  him,  by  her  influence,  from  saying  a 
word.  Such  is  the  heroic  forgiveness  of  the  Christian.  At  the  very 
moment  when  she  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  man  had  inflicted 
upon  her,  and  all  that  are  dear  to  her,  the  greatest  of  injuries,  she  did 
her  utmost  to  screen  him  from  suffering.  I  must  confess  that  it  would 
have  been  more  proper  for  a  well-balanced  mind  to  have  admitted 
the  importance  of  the  claims  of  the  law,  and,  while  she  disclaimed 
everything  like  revenge,  to  have  permitted  the  i)aram()unt  interests  of 
society  to  be  vindicated  by  the  punishment  of  the  law-breaker.  How- 
ever, Mr.  Davis  could  have  given  no  additional  information,  for  the 
matter  was  too  unexpected  and  instantaneous  for  him  to  observe  any- 
thing. You  see  that  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth 
speaketh.     I  have  not  had  time,  during  the  last  twenty- lour  hours,  to 


Life  at  the  University  of  A'irginia.  59 

think  of  anything  else,  and  consequently  it  is  hard  for  me  to  talk  of 
anything  else  now.  The  students  celebrated  the  late  misfortune  of  the 
nation  [Mr.  Dabney  was  an  ardent  Democrat]  by  burning  tar-barrels 
and  yelling  around  the  professors'  houses,  'Huzza !  for  old  Tip  and 
Mr.  Tucker,'  etc.  What  an  illustration  of  the  hollow,  empty  falsehood 
of  the  popular  shout.  Night  before  last  the  Faculty  are  cheered  and 
almost  idolized :  to-night,  one  of  them  shot  down  without  provocation, 
like  a  brute  beast.     .     .     . 

"Yours  affectionately, 

"R.  L.  D." 

In  subsequent  letters  he  follows  the  fortunes  of  the  student 
Semmes,  condemns  the  means  used  to  evade  trial,  says  the  two 
most  important  witnesses  have  been  induced  to  abscond,  not- 
withstanding that  one  of  them  was  bound  to  appear  under  a 
penalty  of  five  thousand  dollars.  The  lawyers  for  the  defence, 
Messrs.  Leigh,  Lyons,  and  Gilmer,  come  in  for  some  trenchant 
criticism.    He  says  in  this  connection : 

"I  never  could  understand  what  sort  of  consciences  these  big  lawyers 
have,  when  they  undertake,  for  a  sum  of  money,  to  prostitute  their 
talents,  to  defend  and  save  a  man  whom  they  know  to  be  guilty.  But 
the  more  palpable  the  guilt,  the  greater  the  honor  of  clearing  the  guilty, 
they  say.  I  can  only  say  that  I  would  be  very  unwilling  to  run  the 
risk,  which  they  run,  of  finding  the  stain  of  blood-guiltiness  resting  on 
them  at  the  last  day,  should  any  of  the  desperadoes  who  are  turned 
loose  upon  society,  and  snatched  from  the  wholesome  discipline  of  the 
law  through  their  instrumentality,  be  guilty  of  a  second  murder.  Who 
can  tell  how  much  of  the  recklessness  and  contempt  of  the  law  which 
Semmes  displayed  may  have  arisen  from  the  tales  he  heard,  as  well 
as  all  the  rest  of  the  country,  of  the  manner  in  which  money  and  influ- 
ence triumphed  over  law  in  the  case  of  Vaughan?  If  I  could  be  so 
base  as  to  harbor  deadly  malice  against  any  one,  it  would  not  be  the 
fear  of  the  gallows  that  would  restrain  me  from  taking  his  life.  In 
this  country  a  few  thousand  dollars  are  fully  sufficient  to  atone  for  the 
blood  of  a  fellow-creature.  The  old  Saxon  law  of  valuing  the  life  of 
a  man  at  a  certain  sum,  and  putting  to  death  only  those  murderers  who 
are  too  poor  to  pay  it,  is  virtually  in  force  among  us. 

"I  believe  that  the  public  attention  is  pretty  well  turned  away  from 
my  humble  self  to  more  important  and  interesting  objects.  I  hear  of 
no  odium  attached  to  my  name,  for  the  atrocity  of  the  act  and  the 
certainty  of  Semmes'  guilt  have  so  completely  vindicated  my  instru- 
mentality in  his  arrest  that  nobody,  except  those  who  are  perfectly 
contemptible,  can  blame  me.  I  did  not  at  all  thrust  myself  forward. 
I  was  put  on  a  committee  by  my  fellow-students  to  cooperate  with  the 
Faculty  and  civil  authorities,  without  my  seeking  the  place;  but  as  the 


6o  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

lot  fell  on  me,  I  was  determined  to  stop  at  nothing  in  discharging  what 
I  thought  the  trust  reposed  in  me  by  my  fellow-students  required.  I 
took  care  not  to  push  forward  into  the  scrape,  officiously ;  but  when 
called  upon,  I  had  no  reason  for  excusing  myself  which  would  not 
apply  to  any  one  else  also.  If  a  man  is  certain  that  it  is  a  ditfy  which 
calls  him  into  danger  or  disagreeable  circumstances,  he  will  turn 
neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left,  for  fear  of  any  evils  which 
may  threaten  him,  from  the  injustice  of  public  opinion,  or  from  per- 
sonal violence.  Without  this  certainty,  courage  degenerates  into 
rashness."  " 

In  portraying  his  behavior  and  motives  in  this  business,  Mr. 
Dabney  set  forth  himself  to  his  brother,  and  through  him  to  us. 
He  was  a  man  of  large  caution  in  deaHng  with  his  fellow-inen, 
but  when  his  judgment  had  once  approved  a  course,  when  he 
heard  the  clear  call  of  duty,  he  was  going  to  answer,  no  matter 
what  the  obstacles  in  the  way.  This  incident  is  typical  of  his 
whole  life,  and  prophetic.  He  was  preparing  himself  to  uphold 
the  right  in  the  face  of  a  disapproving  world." 

His  views  of  the  community,  perhaps,  hardly  do  justice  to 
the  community.  He  complains  of  the  want  of  sociability,  except 
on  Sunday,  which  was  too  much  given  to  social  visiting.  He 
speaks  as  if  good  old-fashioned  Virginia  families  of  the  gentry 
class  were  rare.  He  did  not  approve  of  the  fashions  in  woman's 
dress  prevailing  about  the  University.  He  had  very  decided 
views  on  the  subjects  of  female  dress,  and  propriety  of  behavior 
at  this  early  age,  and  expresses  them  with  all  directness  and 
vigor.  For  instance,  in  the  letter  to  his  mother,  of  October  25, 
1840,  from  which  we  have  already  quoted  in  another  connec- 
tion, he  says : 

"You  will  not  be  any  less  surprised  when  I  tell  you  that  I  saw  a  very 
venerable  lady,  the  wife  of  one  of  the  professors,  who  has  all  the  honors 
of  age  upon  his  head,  and  who  is  herself  not  so  j'oung  as  she  formerly 
was,  having  had  three  husbands  besides  the  present,  walking  out  this 
cold,  windy  day  in  light  salmon  slippers,  with  stockings  to  correspond. 
How  would  it  look  to  see  old  Aunt  Polly  [Scptuagenary]  hop  out  of 
her  carriage  at  Providence  [Mrs.  Dabney's  church],  in  salmon  slippers, 

°  Letter  to  his  brother  William,  dated  December  7,  1840. 

"  The  curious  may  wish  to  know  something  of  the  fortunes  of 
Semmes.  He  lay  in  jail  in  Charlottesville  for  some  months,  getting 
very  sick  immediately  before  or  on  the  morning  of  the  day  appointed 
for  trial ;  was  finally  bailed  out  in  the  sum  of  $25,000,  on  the  plea  of 
ill-health,  and  committed  suicide  in  1841. 


Life  at  the  Uni\'Ersitv  of  A'irginia.  6i 

pink  merino,  crimson  velvet  bonnet  and  blonde  veil?  I  have  no  doubt 
the  old  lady,  with  her  refined  taste  in  dress,  would  almost  faint  at  the 
idea.     Yet  her  appearance  would  be  identically  that  of  the  old  lady  I 

speak  of,  who  is  not  old  Mrs. ,  either.    This  evening  I  saw  another 

young  lady,  walking  and  sentimentalizing  with  a  student,  in  a  wind  keen 
and  strong  enough  to  make  a  man  believe  that  he  and  his  nose  were 
about  to  part  company.  I  suppose,  though,  that  they  were  kept  warm 
by  those — 

"  'Thoughts  that  burn,  and  words  that  glow,' 

which  folks  talk  of  when  they  wish  to  be  poetical.  A  few  days  ago,  as 
aforesaid  young  lady  was  walking  in  Charlottesville,  being  overcome 
by  the  very  unreasonable  task  of  climbing  a  hill  almost  as  steep  as  the 
one  by  the  corn-house  (three  or  four  degrees),  she  fainted,  and,  tumbling 
over  in  a  most  tragic  style,  thumped  her  noddle  against  a  stone,  and 
had  to  be  picked  up  and  carried  into  a  house  insensible.  How  ex- 
quisitely interesting !  It  is  a  pity  but  somebody  had  been  there  to 
apply  the  needful  remedy,  a  pair  of  scissors  to  the  back  of  her — ahem ! — 
corset.  We  have  sundry  other  lovely  young  girls  of  thirty  to  thirty-five, 
whose  qualifications  and  exploits  are  not  a  whit  more  undeserving  of 
honor." 

There  were,  however,  some  members  of  the  commtmity  for 
whom  our  young  critic  in  homespun  from  Louisa  had  the 
highest  regard.  He  formed  one  friendship  pecuhar  and  endur- 
ing.   To  this  we  shall  revert  later  on. 

Our  young  friend  was  not  at  the  University,  however,  for 
the  primary  purpose  of  looking  on  at  the  doings  of  others,  but 
for  work  as  a  student.  He  carried  about  in  that  long,  slender 
body  of  his,  armed  with  its  abounding  store  of  nervous  energy, 
his  old  yearning  to  become  a  learned  man.  Those  slender, 
sinewy  hands  fingered  curiously  many  things  the  ordinary 
student  never  dreamed  of  as  worthy  of  handling,  those  piercing 
dark  eyes  looked  narrowly  at  a  host  of  things  that  many  of  his 
fellows  travelling  the  same  paths  never  saw ;  but  amidst  things 
of  interest  on  every  side  he  was  driven  toward  the  mastery  of 
the  studies  of  the  course  for  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He 
had  deter  mined  to  do  this  work,  he  wrote  to  his  friends  more 
than  once.  Those  who  looked  on  his  strong  visage  saw  that  he 
had  all  the  signs  of  genuine  determination  writ  large  in  jaw 
and  mouth  and  chin.  That  he  worked  well  in  the  course  which 
he  had  fixed  upon  is  sufiticiently  shown  by  his  achievements  in 
the  several  sessions. 

He  matriculated  on  the  loth  day  of  December.  1839.  More 
than  two  months  of  that  collegiate  year  had  then  passed  by.  but 


62  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

during  that  year,  nevertheless,  he  was  graduated  in  physics  and 
chemistry,  "to  the  disgust  of  the  professors,"  who  did  not 
expect  him  to  graduate  in  so  short  a  time.  It  was  an  additional 
difficulty  in  his  way,  that  an  important  examination  in  physics, 
covering  the  work  of  the  whole  of  the  preceding  part  of  the 
term,  was  held  just  about  three  and  a  half  weeks  after  he  was 
matriculated.  He  writes  to  his  mother  on  the  4th  of  January, 
1840: 

This  is  almost  the  first  moment  of  leisure  I  have  had  since  I  came 
up,  and  I  cannot  spend  it  better  than  in  writing  to  you.  When  I  got 
here,  I  found  that  there  was  an  examination  in  one  of  the  classes  in 
which  I  wished  to  graduate,  on  this  day,  the  4th  of  January.  My  only 
chance  was  to  prepare  for  it,  although  the  time  was  less  than  three 
weeks,  and  the  subject  embraced  the  studies  of  the  class  for  more  than 
three  months,  and  was  nearly  new  to  me.  The  Faculty  will  not  allow 
any  person  to  defer  his  examination,  except  for  sickness,  and  as  it  was 
necessary  that  I  should  stand  this  one  in  order  to  graduate,  it  was  my 
only  chance,  and  a  bad  one.  However,  the  examination  is  now  over, 
and  I  hope  that  1  shall  squeeze  through  by  dint  of  hard  study.  I  shall 
not  hear  the  decision  of  the  professor,  perhaps,  for  a  week.  But  the 
matter  is  over,  and  I  feel  no  anxiety  about  it,  for  I  have  done  my  best. 
Out  of  five  questions  which  fell  to  my  share  (not  questions  which  could 
be  answered  in  a  few  words,  but  which  require  several  pages  of  writing), 
I  believe  I  answered  four  creditably.  The  fifth  stumped  me  entirely, 
a  thing  which  has  rarely  happened  to  me  before." 

During  the  second  year  he  was  graduated  in  mathematics, 
Latin,  philosophy,  and  political  economy.  This  wa§  the  year 
during  which  he  found  most  pleasure  in  the  studies  pursued. 
During  the  third  year  he  was  graduated  in  Greek,  French  and 
Italian.  He  chose  French  because  he  wished  to  acquaint  him- 
self thoroughly  with  that  language ;  he  chose  Italian  because  it 
was  esteemed  the  easiest  of  the  modern  European  languages 
to  learn. 

He  attempted  work  for  The  Collegian  also.  This  was  the 
literary  organ  of  the  student  body  at  the  University.  Amongst 
his  articles  in  The  Collegian  were  an  "Essay  on  the  Merits  of 
Ancient  Classic  Literature,"  published  in  the  fall  of  1840;  "Re- 
marks on  Planting  Trees  for  the  Adornment  of  the  University 
Grounds,"  published  in  June,  1842,  and  "The  Comparative  Ex- 
cellence of  our  Authors,"  which  appeared  in  1841.  It  is  a  some- 
what curious  fact  that  he  did  not  take  so  high  a  view  of  the 
relative  importance  of  the  study  of  Greek  and  Latin  when  he 


Life  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  63 

wrote  his  article  for  The  Collegian  in  1840  as  he  soon  came  to 
do.  One  smiles  at  the  note  on  the  back  of  his  manuscript  on 
"The  Merits  of  Ancient  Classic  Literature,"  for  the  note  is  in 
his  own  hand,  and  appears  to  have  been  made  several  decades 
ago;  the  note  is,  "An  abortion."  Nevertheless,  this  paper 
shows  force,  and  they  all  show  that  young  Dabney  was  really 
using  the  mind  God  had  given  him,  and  was  not  swallowing 
what  men  said  in  his  presence,  no  matter  who  the  men  were, 
without  digesting. 

These  and  other  publications  of  his  at  the  time  had  done  him 
service,  as  orations  or  essays  in  the  Jefferson  Society,  of  which 
he  was  an  active  as  well  as  a  vigorous  member.  He  had  at  this 
early  time  a  developed  itch  for  publishing  his  writings.  In  the 
Charlottesville  Jeft'ersonian  of  March,  1842,  he  had  a  long  and 
excellent  article  on  banking.  Crudities  attach  to  his  treatment, 
but  he  at  least  writes  in  a  way  to  disabuse  the  public  mind  as  to 
current  fallacies. 

While  earnestly  engaged  in  the  improvement  of  his  mind,  he 
was  not  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  other  obligations  rested  upon 
him.  He  felt  that  he  was  bound  to  try  to  be  his  brother's 
keeper.  Accordingly,  during  his  one  year  of  residence  on  the 
University  grounds  he  was  diligent  in  Christian  work  on  the 
Sabbath  on  behalf  of  his  fellow-students.  He  wrote  to  his 
mother  on  the  25th  of  October.  1840 : 

"We  have  also  started  a  Bible  class  among  the  students,  which  will 
liave,  I  hope,  somewhat  more  than  twenty  members.  I  look  to  this  to 
do  a  great  deal  of  good,  and  shall  do  everything  in  my  power  to 
help  it  on  the  way." 

During  his  last  session  of  attendance  on  the  University  he 
was  moved,  by  his  desire  to  be  his  brother's  keeper,  to  join  a 
band  of  students  pledged  to  "total  abstinence."  In  a  letter  to 
his  brother  William,  dated  February  7,  1842,  he  says: 

"We  have  just  established  a  tetotal  temperance  society  in  the  Uni- 
versity, binding  its  members  to  total  abstinence  during  their  connection 
with  college.  We  have  about  thirty  members,  and  mean  to  have  more. 
There  is  quite  a  hostility  to  it  among  some  of  the  students,  but  this  is 
a  good  sign.  Apathy  and  an  affectation  of  contemptuous  neglect  of  the 
subject  is  what  we  have  to  fear.  The  plan  is  so  rational  and  so  bene- 
ficial that  a  continued  attention  to  the  subject  cannot  fail  to  win  over 
some.  I  have  no  sanguine  expectations  about  it;  but  if  we  can  prevent 
one  young  man   from   going  home   to  his  parents   with   the   seeds   of 


64  LiKi-:  AND  Letters  of  Robert  Li:\\is  Dacxev. 

drunkenness  in  his  habits,  I  shall  feel  that  we  have  saved  a  world  of 
misery  to  himself,  and  to  his  friends,  and  to  the  descendants  he  may 
have  after  him,  and  that  our  labors  will  be  by  no  means  thrown  away.'' 

There  was  one  man  in  the  comnmnity  witli  \vht)ni.  we  may 
rest  assured,  young  Mr.  Dabney  consuUed  about  these  Chris- 
and  philanthropic  efforts.  He  had  begun  a  friendship  with  that 
man  of  God,  the  Rev.  Dr.  WilHam  S.  White,  soon  after  reaching 
the  University.  Mr.  White,  being  in  the  neighborhood  in  which 
Mr.  Reuben  Lewis  lived,  on  some  work  proper  to  his  vocation, 
found  it  convenient  to  spend  a  night  in  the  house  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lewis.  Robert  Dabney  wrote  to  his  mother  on  January 
4,  1840: 

"He  is  a  very  friendly  man,  and  offered  me  the  use  of  his  books 
and  invited  me  to  his  house.  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  him.  I  have 
not  heard  him  preach  yet,  or,  indeed,  any  one  else.  The  weather  has 
been  so  inclement  that  it  is  with  difficulty  I  got  to  the  University." 

Later  he  speaks  of  going  to  accept  Mr.  White's  invitation ; 
he  distinguishes  between  invitation  and  invitation.  Some  invi- 
tations, he  says,  contain  on  their  faces  warnings  not  to  accept 
them.  Mr.  White's  was  honest.  On  October  25,  1840,  he 
writes  to  his  mother: 

"Mr.  White  is  getting  on  very  well,  and,  what  is  the  best  feature  in 
the  matter,  mends  upon  the  good  opinion  of  the  people.  They  are 
obliged  to  think  better  and  better  of  him  every  Sunday.  His  first 
sermon  was  quite  ordinary,  and  from  that  he  has  been  getting  better 
and  better  every  time.  There  are  few  men  in  the  State  who  do  more 
good  than  he  does,  in  one  way  or  another.  His  church  is  flourishing, 
and  he  has  a  very  useful,  and  I  hope  profitable,  school  of  about  sixty 
scholars.  He  told  us  the  other  day  that  he  united  three  distinct  pro- 
fessions, either  of  which  was  enough  to  occupy  his  time,  and  that  he 
rarely  sat  down  to  a  meal  without  being  called  off  before  he  had  time 
to  eat.  Sunday  before  last  he  told  the  congregation  that  that  was  the 
eleventh  sermon  he  had  preached  that  week,  besides  riding  nearly  two 
hundred  miles  to  and  fro.  The  people  will  have  nobody  else  to  marry 
them,  preach  their  funerals,  and  see  them  when  they  are  sick,  so  that 
he  is  always  on  the  pad.'' 

lie  was  accustomed  to  visit  this  good  and  great  pastor  from 
time  to  time,  as  his  opportunities  and  his  sense  of  the  value  of 
Mr.  White's  time  permitted.  Thus  began  and  grew  the  friend- 
ship cherished  l)y  each  to  the  end  of  life.     It  was  a  great  thing 


Life  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  65 

for  a  young  man  to  be  thrown  under  the  influence  of  such  a 
pastor. 

While  throwing  himself  with  great  energy  into  his  life  as  a 
student,  and  a  member  of  the  community  around  and  including 
the  University,  the  interests  and  thought  of  this  youth  were  not 
confined  to  so  narrow  a  sphere.  The  politics  of  the  country,  the 
great  subject  of  slavery,  practical  measures  for  improving  the 
fertility  of  soils  that  have  been  worn,  in  particular  his  mother's 
farming  operations  and  business  affairs,  the  personal  welfare, 
temporal  and  eternal,  of  friends  in  many  quarters,  and  also 
Hampden-Sidney  College,  engaged  an  amount  of  attention,  and 
called  forth  an  amount  of  effort  on  his  part,  which  would  have 
bieen  fatal  to  his  success  as  a  student  had  he  been  a  man  of  mere 
ordinary  endowments. 

In  his  politics  he  was  already  a  thorough-paced  Democrat. 
He  found  time  to  hear  the  speeches  made  by  the  representatives 
■of  the  leading  parties  in  Charlottesville,  and  took  an  inde- 
pendent estimate  of  what  the  speakers  said.  We  may  quote 
here  from  a  letter  to  his  brother  William,  dated  April  22,  1840, 
as  illustrative  of  the  critical,  and  sometimes  satirical,  spirit  with 
^vhich  he  listened  to  the  sage  orators  of  his  day : 

"I  am  convinced,  from  a  long  specimen  we  have  had  to-night  between 
Uncle  Reuben  (Mr.  Lewis)  and  Dr.  Anderson,  that  talking  politics  is 
a  most  joyless  amusement,  and  I  doubt  not  but  that  your  thoughts  and 
feelings  are  more  happily  engaged,  and  will  continue  so.  If  men  were 
more  in  the  habit  of  centering  their  thoughts  and  feelings  at  home, 
they  would  make  better  republicans,  because,  although  they  would  not 
spend  so  much  time  in  settling  the  affairs  at  Washington,  they  would 
feel  a  graver  interest  in  the  support  of  order  and  political  morality, 
and  would  be  more  careful  how  they  let  prejudice  or  accident  determine 
their  political  course.  Among  the  endless  improvement  of  the  age  is 
one  in  arguing,  which.  I  think,  promises  to  afford  as  much  facility  in 
settling  political  matters  as  the  steam  engine  does  in  navigating  the 
Mississippi.  In  old  times,  when  a  man  wanted  to  prove  anything,  he 
was  obliged  to  take  the  acknowledged  facts  and  principles  and  make 
the  best  argument  he  could  with  them ;  but  now  they  are  not  cramped 
by  this  necessity.  If  the  premises  look  unpromising,  why  the  politician 
just  fabricates  such  as  will  suit  his  purpose.  With  the  aid  of  this 
imlimited  liberty,  the  Whigs  about  this  Athens  of  Virginia  (as  the 
-court-house  orators  call  it)  have  proved  to  a  dead  certainty  that  Van 
Buren  is  a  Federalist,  Harrison  a  Republican,  and  comparable  to  Wash- 
ington in  military  and  civil  talents.  The  Democrats  have  proved,  with 
«qual  certainty,  that  Harrison  is  a  Federalist  in  his  dotage,  and  that 
5 


66  Life  and  Letters  of  Rop.ert  Lewis  Dacxev. 

he  never  deserved  any  honor  at  all,  but  that  the  credit  of  his  success 
must  be  attributed  to  those  two  worthies,  Fortune  and  Col.  Johnson. 
These  are  wonderful  triumphs  of  reason,  certainly,  and  deserve  to  be 
celebrated  by  a  log-cabin  and  hard-cider  procession.  We  have  thus 
learned  to  throw  off  the  error  of  that  old  maxim  of  the  dark  ages,  that 
'the  affirmative  and  the  negative  of  the  same  question  cannot  both  be 
true.'  In  the  midst  of  these  gigantic  strides  towards  a  new  era  in 
politics,  Mr.  Rives  has  stepped  forth,  to  help  on  the  great  cause  of 
improvement.  He  has  shown  us  how  to  make  a  standing  army  out 
of  militia;  how  to  turn  a  political  somerset  without  turning  his  prin- 
ciples heels  over  head,  or  even  moving  them  for  an  instant  from  the 
upright  position,  and  several  other  feats  equally  wonderful.  He  has 
gone  over  to  Winchester  to  explain  the  same  tricks  to  the  good  people 
there,  and  big  rumors  are  afloat  of  his  success,  although  we  have  heard 
no  authentic  accounts.  I  heard  his  speech  at  Charlottesville,  of  which 
you  have  seen  such  contradictory  accounts.  It  was  extremely  ingenious, 
touching  altogether  on  the  few  points  on  which  he  can  unite  with  his 
present  friends  without  open  contradiction  of  his  previously  expressed 
opinions,  and  entirely  slurring  over  the  many,  on  which  they  are  as 
wide  asimder  as  the  poles.  His  speech  contained  more  animosity  and 
more  misrepresentation,  and  less  eloquence,  than  I  expected  from  him. 
His  cimning  at  twisting  and  misrepresenting  any  document  he  is  criti- 
cising almost  exceeds  belief.  He  will  slip  in  an  idea  which  changes  the 
aspect  of  the  thing  from  the  true  one  without  your  perceiving  it,  and 
probably  using  the  very  words  of  the  document.  The  Whig  battle  has 
been  fought  heretofore  mainly  by  blustering  and  assertion,  until  these 
weapons  have  become  blunt.  Some  acumen  and  (apparent)  argument 
are  very  necessary  for  them  now,  and  these  Rives  has.  The  Whigs 
are  making  the  utmost  use  of  him,  making  him  work  for  them  by  flat- 
tering him.  as  you  may  do  with  a  vain  negro  sometimes  who  would 
not  ]>e  moved  by  fear  of  the  switch.  The  Democrats  need  not  pretend 
to  look  on  Rives  with  contempt.  He  is  able  to  do  them  a  great  deal 
of  mischief,  and  he  has  the  will.  The  decline  of  their  cause  in  this 
part  of  Virginia  is  much  more  owing  to  his  efforts  than  to  the  circuit 
riders  and  yeomen,  and  such  like  measures,  by  which  the  Whigs  are 
moving  heaven  and  earth.  I  was  at  Mr.  Clilmer's  the  other  day,  and 
met  with  him,  he  having  come  on  a  visit  to  his  family.  He  is  a  very 
pleasing  man  to  me.  free  and  polite  in  his  manners.  I  think,  from  his 
conversation,  that  if  he  would  submit  to  the  labor  of  elal)orate  investiga- 
tion, his  mind  is  capable  of  much  more  profound  opinions  than  he  has 
generally  displayed.  He  seems  to  take  his  ground  with  very  slight 
examination,  and  yet  his  views  are  sometimes  very  striking.  He  does 
not  indulge  in  this  foolish  bragging  about  success  in  the  elections  or 
in  any  of  the  Whig  slang.  He  says  he  hopes  for  a  very  small  \\'liig 
majority  in  the  Legislature  next  session,  but  of  the  election  of  (ien. 
Harrison,   can   foresee  nothing  certain.     Perhaps  I  am  inclined  to  like 


Life  at  the  Uni\'ersity  of  Aircixia.  67 

him  because  he  is  an  Old  School  Presbyterian.'  All  this  rigmarole,  I 
reckon,  will  be  rather  uninteresting  to  you ;  but  it  is  about  the  scenes 
through  which  I  have  lately  passed,  and  which  are,  therefore,  upper- 
most in  my  remembrance.  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth 
speaketh.  Or.  perhaps,  like  almost  ever3'body  else,  you  have  turned 
Whig,  as  I  have  heard  nothing  to  the  contrary." 

A  discussion  of  politics  is  no  unfrequent  featin^e  of  his  letters, 
and  on  the  13th  of  October,  1840,  he  paid  his  respects  to  Mr. 
Rives  and  the  Whigs  in  a  style  so  spicy  that  he  could  not  have 
surpassed  it  in  his  palmiest  days. 

The  views  which  he  entertained  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  in 
these  early  days,  are  of  special  interest.  He  sets  them  forth  in 
that  part  of  a  great  omnibus  letter  to  the  homefolks,  dated 
January  22,  1840.  which  was  addressed  to  Mr.  G.  Woodson 
Payne.  In  condoling-  with  Mr.  Payne  over  the  difficulties  in 
managing  the  negroes,  he  remarks  as  follows : 

"It  seems  to  me  that  there  could  be  no  greater  curse  inflicted  on 
us  than  to  be  compelled  to  manage  a  parcel  of  negroes.  Whatever 
may  be  the  influence  of  slavery  on  the  happiness  of  the  negroes,  it 
would  most  effectually  destroy  that  of  the  master,  if  they  were  all  like 
me.  Before  the  abolitionists  began  to  meddle  with  our  affairs,  with 
which  they  had  no  business,  I  remember  that  it  was  a  common  opinion 
that  domestic  slavery  was  at  least  injudicious,  as  far  as  the  happiness 
of  the  master  was  concerned.  I  do  believe  that  if  these  mad  fanatics 
had  let  us  alone,  in  twenty  years  we  should  have  made  Virginia  a  free 
State.  As  it  is,  their  unauthorized  attempts  to  strike  ofif  the  fetters  of 
our  slaves  have  but  riveted  them  on  the  faster.  Does  this  fact  arise  from 
the  perversity  of  our  natures?  I  believe  that  it  does,  in  part.  We  are 
less  inclined  to  do  that  which  we  know  to  be  our  duty  because  persons, 
who  have  no  right  to  interfere,  demand  it  of  us.  But  the  change  of 
public  opinion  in  the  South,  favorable  to  the  continuation  of  slavery, 
doubtless  arose  partly  from  free  discussion.  We  have  investigated  the 
subject,  and  we  find  emancipation  much  more  dangerous  than  we  had 
before  imagined.  Who  knows  but  that  this  uproar  of  the  Abolitionist, 
which  has  almost  broken  the  ties  of  our  political  union,  and  thrown 
back  the  poor  slave  from  his  hope  of  approaching  emancipation  at  least 
a  half  a  century,  which,  in  short,  has  been  to  our  view  productive  of 
nothing  but  evil,  may  have  been  designed  by  Providence  as  a  check  upon 
our  imprudent  liberality.  If  we  had  hastened  on  to  give  the  slave  his 
liberty  at  once,   as   I   believe  public   sentiment  was   tending,   we   might 

"  This  was  Mr.  Thomas  Walker  Gilmer,  Governor  of  Virginia, 
1840-1841.  He  was  soon  to  become  a  Calhoun  Democrat,  exactly  the 
party  R.  L.  Dalmej-  approved. 


68  LiFE.AXD  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

have  done  irreparable  injury.  I  am  no  Abolitionist.  I  do  not  doubt 
that  liberty  would  ruin  the  African  race  in  the  Southern  States ;  that 
they  would  wane  away,  like  the  unfortunate  Indians,  by  the  effects  of 
their  own  vices  and  from  the  pressure  of  a  more  powerful  and  more 
enlightened  race.  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  duty  arising  from  the  com- 
mand to  love  my  neighbor  as  myself  which  compels  me  to  inflict  a 
ruinous  injury  on  that  neighbor,  and  such  would  be  immediate  freedom 
to  our  slaves.  But  yet  I  do  not  believe  that  we  ought  to  rest  contented 
that  slavery  should  exist  forever,  in  its  present  form.  It  is,  as  a  system, 
liable  to  most  erroneous  abuses.  The  guilt  of  the  matter  rests  not  with 
us,  as  long  as  we  fulfill  our  duty  to  our  slaves,  but  with  those  who  are 
guilty  of  the  abuses,  and  with  the  forefathers  of  these  Yankee  Aboli- 
tionists, who  entailed  the  curse  upon  us  by  their  nefarious  traffic.  Do 
you  think  that  there  will  be  a  system  of  slavery,  where  the  black  is 
punished  with  death  for  an  offence  for  which  a  white  man  is  only 
imprisoned  a  year  or  two;  where  the  black  may  not  resist  wanton 
aggression  and  injury;  where  he  is  Ijable  to  have  his  domestic  rela- 
tions violated  in  an  instant;  where  the  female  is  not  mistress  of  her 
own  chastity;  where  the  slave  is  liable  to  starvation,  oppression  and 
cruel  punishments  from  an  unprincipled  master — that  such  a  system 
can  exist  in  the  millennium?  If  not  then,  it  is  an  obstacle  to  the  Prince 
of  Peace,  and  if  we  would  see  his  chariot  roll  on,  among  the  prostrate 
nations,  it  is  our  duty  to  remove  this  obstruction.  While  abolition  is 
impossible,  yet  I  believe  much  might  be  done  to  modify  the  system  and 
remove  abuses  (of  which  the  greatest  is  the  domestic  slave  trade),  while 
we  retain  the  good  parts  of  it." 

In  spite  of  the  mistaken  view,  expressed  in  the  foreg-oing,  as 
to  the  issue  of  the  abohtion  movement,  and  the  too  lurid  painting 
of  the  slave's  condition,  so  far  as  Virginia  was  concerned,  we 
have  a  profound  grasp  of  the  merits  of  the  subject  for  a  youth 
in  his  twentieth  year  only. 

We  find  this  same  youth  writing  to  his  brother,  after  special 
conference  with  the  professor  of  chemistry,  of  the  best  method 
of  burning  oyster-shells  for  the  purpose  of  fertilizing  lands,  find 
him  collecting  views  as  to  the  way  in  which  lime  should  be  used 
on  the  farm  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  its  productiveness, 
find  him  overlooking  his  mother's  fann  from  the  vantage  point 
of  the  University.  On  the  15th  of  March,  1842,  he  writes  to 
his  brother  Francis,  who  was  superintending  the  farm  that 
year : 

"I  suppose  you  have  commenced  to  sow  oats  before  now.  You  ought 
to  sow  a  good  many,  for  there  is  much  land,  and  it  is  preposterous  for 
us  to  go  on  contracting  our  crops  year  after  year,  as  we  have  done  of 


Life  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  69 

late.  We  shall  make  but  little  wheat,  and  we  ought,  therefore,  to  make 
something  for  market  in  its  place.  Sow  as  much  clover  with  the  oats 
as  you  possibly  can,  especially  up  the  Armstrong  branch.  I  would 
advise  you  not  to  attempt  to  plant  corn  before  you  are  ready.  Plant 
the  highland  first,  and  be  sure  that  you  have  the  lowgrounds,  especially, 
nicely  prepared  beforehand.  You  ought  to  aim  to  keep  a  coalter  run- 
ning constantly  from  the  very  day  you  finish  planting.  Do  not  wait 
for  the  corn  to  come  up.  One  early  lick  is  worth  three  late  ones  for 
helping  on  the  corn.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  also  to  run  a  large  harrow 
over  the  corn,  and  if  you  could  get  all  your  field  well  coaltered  and 
harrowed  by  the  time  the  corn  is  as  high  as  your  hand,  the  tug  of  war 
would  be  over  with  it.  Do  not  aim  to  do  anything  with  the  tobacco 
lot,  but  to  plow  in  all  the  coarser  manure.  If  this  could  be  done  before 
beginning  to  plant  corn,  it  would  be  much  the  best.  Try  to  get  a  good 
coat  of  manure  plowed  in  on  the  poorer  places  in  the  upper  end,  and 
the  rich  parts  next  to  where  Pompey's  house  stood  you  might  let  stand 
until  the  plants  get  big  enough,  and  then  manure  it  in  the  hill." 

His  mind  reverted  to  the  old  plantation,  and  his  letters  are 
full  of  suggestions  as  to  the  management  of  his  mother's  estate. 

During  his  second  year  at  the  University  he  was  forced,  by 
having  early  lectures,  to  live  on  the  grounds,  and  not  five  and 
a  half  miles  away,  at  Mr.  Reuben  Lewis's.  His  brother  Francis 
lived  that  session  in  the  same  quarters  with  him,  and  studied 
under  Robert's  directions.  This  playing  tutor  would  have  been 
a  heavy  burden  to  some  students,  but  Robert  Dabney  found  a 
vv-ay  of  doing  it  with  little  burden  to  himself,  had  all' the  satis- 
faction derived  from  his  brother's  society,  and  the  additional 
pleasure  of  having  several  other  subjects,  connected  with  the 
training  of  youths,  to  think  about  and  write  about.  Hear  him 
ventilate  his  views  on  native  bents  for  mathematics,  in  a  letter 
of  Alay  8,  J  841 : 

"The  mysteries  of  mathematics  he  (Francis)  finds  peculiarly  knotty. 
I  never  believed  much  in  the  notion  about  natural  bents  of  genius,  but 
it  seems  that  there  is  a  remarkable  difiference  in  the  readiness  with 
which  different  persons  acquire  this  science.  I  have  been  astonished 
at  the  difficulty  which  he  finds  in  comprehending  things  which,  I  remem- 
ber well,  I  could  understand  in  my  first  beginnings  without  trouble. 
Perhaps,  the  chief  reason  is  in  the  fact  that  he  has  not  such  a  good 
instructor  as  I  had  in  old  Brother  Wharey,  for  he  shows  the  greatest 
readiness  in  other  things.  One  of  his  chief  mistakes  is  in  investing 
reasoning  with  too  mysterious  and  lofty  a  character.  He  cannot  realize 
how  simple  and  obvious,  and  almost  trivial,  are  the  individual  steps 
m  all  our  reasonings.     When  he  comes  to  me  to  have  a  problem  ex- 


yo  Life  and  Letters  of  Roi'.ert  Lewis  Dadxev. 

plained,  I  often  find  that  th::  relations  on  which  the  solution  imme- 
diately depends  have  been  perceived  by  him,  but  he  has  passed  them 
over  as  entirely  too  trifling  and  easy  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
matter,  or  to  lead  to  anything  important.  Another  great  obstacle  to 
his  progress  I  have  found  to  be  his  inability,  when  he  is  confused  by 
the  reasoning  of  the  author,  to  perceive  the  obvious  cause  of  his  con- 
fusion and  difficulty  in  himself.  Sometimes,  when  he  is  in  a  great 
'botheration,'  I  ask  him,  much  to  his  surprise,  and  rather  insultingly, 
he  thinks,  if  he  is  certain  that  he  knows  the  meaning  of  all  the  words. 
He  generally  finds  that  his  whole  difficulty  has  arisen  from  his  not 
affixing  definite  and  proper  ideas  to  some  one  or  other  of  the  terms. 
Hence,  I  am  convinced  that  if  pains  were  always  taken  to  impress  on 
the  mind  of  the  beginner  the  true,  exact  nature  of  the  things  he  is  to 
learn  about,  by  repeated  and  accurate  definitions,  and  by  models  and 
drawings  when  it  is  possible,  nine-tenths  of  the  difficulties  would  be 
removed  from  his  path.  When  two  ideas  are  really  before  the  mind 
even  of  the  simplest,  he  cannot  fail  to  perceive  the  relation  that  is 
pointed  out  between  them ;  but  if  the  terms  used  fail  to  put  the  ideas 
into  his  mind,  we  need  not  wonder  if  he  does  not  perceive  the  relation." 

During  the  last  session  at  the  University  he  was  seeking  to 
solve  the  question  as  to  how  and  where  Francis  should  be  sent 
to  college ;  he  finally  concluded  that  it  would  be  best  to  send 
him  to  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  at  Lexington,  Va.,  and 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  took  the  necessary  measures  to 
secure  his  appointment. 

There  was  another  member  of  his  family  for  whose  well- 
being  of  every  sort  he  was  solicitous  throughout  these  years, 
viz.,  his  youngest  sister.  Three  remarkable  letters  from  him  to 
her  have  been  preserved.  Through  these  he  tried  to  move  her, 
so  far  as  man  may  attempt  such  a  thing,  to  become  a  child  of 
(lod.  \n  the  first  of  these  letters  he,  in  four  pages  of  fool's-cap, 
closely  written,  presses  on  her  mind  the  dangers  of  delay.  In 
the  second,  he  takes  up  the  same  danger,  and  referring  to  the 
considerations  adduced  in  the  first  letter,  added  to  them  that  of 
■'contracting  a  habit  of  resisting  serious  impressions."  He  be- 
gins, "You  very  well  know  that  when  we  have  done  anything 
several  times,  we  are  much  aptcr  to  do  it  again,  and  it  is  much 
easier  to  do.  Alas !  T  fear  that  you  have  already  contracted  a 
fearfully  strong  habit  of  resisting  God."  and  he  proceeds  to 
press  this  danger,  and  the  consequent  duty  of  ini mediate  repent- 
ance, with  a  vigor  and  an  earnestness  that  would  be  worthy  of 
any  noble  pastor  we  know  to-day.  He  heard  that  his  darling 
sister  was  nuich  affected  bv  his  e>'.hortations  and  arguments, 


Life  at  the  Uxi\'ersity  of  A'ikc.ixia.  71 

Lut  that  she  failed  to  take  the  desired  step  ;  hence  his  third 
letter,  again  three  and  a  half  fully  and  cl(jsel\-  written  pages  of 
fool's-cap.  This  letter  is  not  abler  than  the  others,  but  some 
paragraphs  may  be  presented  as  specimens  of  his  earnest  deal- 
ing with  this  lovely  and  best  beloved  sister.  The  third  letter 
begin's  with  a  statement  of  his  anxiety  for  her  spiritual  welfare. 
This  is  followed  by  a  portraiture  of  the  remorse  of  the  lost  for 
their  failure  to  give  the  proper  response  to  God's  law,  and  to 
God's  incarnation  and  death  in  the  second  person  of  the  Trinitv. 
He  then  presses  the  need  of  some  saving  system  as  follows : 

"That  your  reason  is  convinced  of  the  need  of  some  plan  of  salva- 
tion I  cannot  doubt,  yet  I  will  try  to  set  it  before  you  with  all  plainness 
of  speech  once  more.  You  cannot  doubt  the  obligation  you  owe  to  God 
to  obey  him,  and  the  perfect  right  he  has  to  require  just  such  a  measure 
of  obedience  as  he  may  see  fit.  He  is  your  creator,  and  nothing  can 
be  more  perfect  than  the  right  of  the  maker  over  the  thing  formed. 
You  have  lived  upon  his  bounty  all  your  life,  and  would  have  died  long 
ago  without  it;  and  hence,  even  if  you  had  made  yourself,  he  would 
thus  have  gained  a  right  over  you.  Nor  can  you  doubt  but  that  you 
have  sinned,  and  that  times  and  ways  past  numbering.  Now  God,  seeing 
that  it  was  best  for  his  own  glory,  and  for  the  happiness  of  his  creatures 
also,  that  he  should  require  of  them  a  perfect  obedience,  has  enforced 
his  demands  by  a  punishment  threatened.  It  is  evident  that,  as  man  is 
a  free  agent,  left  to  do  as  he  pleased,  he  could  not  be  certain  of  his 
obedience  without  seme  motive  being  set  before  him.  This  motive  is 
the  fear  of  punishment  and  the  hope  of  reward.  Now,  God,  having 
made  his  law,  that  the  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die,  must  of  course 
enforce  it,  or  be  disappointed  of  his  object.  Threats  made  and  not 
executed  only  subject  the  maker  to  contempt.  So  it  is  in  this  world. 
When  a  crime  is  committed,  the  law  says  punishment  must  follow  ;  and 
shall  God  be  less  strict  in  preserving  his  law  than  man  is  in  preserving 
the  laws  of  this  earth?  Nay,  is  not  God  infinitely  more  great  and 
glorious,  and  is  not  his  government  vastly  more  important  than  any 
earthly  government?  You  see,  then,  the  impossibility  of  atoning,  by 
any  after  obedience,  even  supposing  you  were  capable  of  it.  If,  there- 
fore, you  had  committed  but  one  sin,  some  atonement  must  be  made 
for  it,  either  by  your  own  eternal  sufferings  or  by  the  obedience  and 
death  of  an  all-sufficient,  because  an  infinite  and  divine.  Saviour.  God 
is  pleased  to  accept  the  atonement  of  Christ,  and  all  you  have  to  do 
is  to  receive  it  thankfully,  not  cavilling  at  the  mode  or  the  conditions. 
This  condition,  which  must  be  fulfilled  before  the  benefits  of  the  atone- 
ment can  be  enjoyed  by  you,  is  one  which  is  evidently  proper  and 
suitable  to  the  nature  of  the  case.  If  you  are  sensible  that  you  need 
it,  you   can   formally  accept  it,   in  your  inmost   soul,  and  at  the   same 


72  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

time  renounce  all  other  hope,  and  this  is  the  faith  in  Christ,  which  is 
the  condition  of  salvation.  By  having  this  faith  you  do  not  become 
any  more  zvorthy.  It  is  still  sovereign  grace  in  Christ  Jesus.  But  by 
having  this  faith  you  fulfil  the  condition  that  God  has  been  pleased 
to  set  for  you,  so  that  he  can  then  bestow  his  gift  of  pardon  in  accord- 
ance with  the  plan  he  has  been  pleased  to  lay  down.  Simple  as  this 
faith  on  Jesus  is,  the  carnal  mind  will  not  submit  to  it,  and  give  up  all 
its  own  hopes,  unless  by  the  grace  of  God  constraining  it. 

"You  may,  perhaps,  ask,  'Then  if  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  necessary,  what  am  I  to  do?  If  I  cannot  convert  myself,  why  are 
you  exhorting  me  to  be  up  and  a-doing?'  If  this  question  is  asked  in 
humility,  and  as  the  men  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  cried  out,  'Men  and 
brethren,  what  shall  we  do  to  be  saved?'  it  is  a  sign  for  good.  We  may 
hope  that  indeed  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  far  from  you.  But  if  it 
is  offered  as  a  cavil,  rest  assured  that  it  is  either  suggested  by  the  devil 
or  is  the  result  of  a  heart  at  enmity  to  God,  and  that  it  is  not  the  result 
of  a  sincere  desire  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  If  you  feel  this  desire,  your 
duty  is  plain,  tangible  and  practical.  You  have  just  to  make  this  formal 
bargain  with  Christ,  explained  above,  without  delay  or  reservation, 
under  the  conviction  that  disobedience  to  God  is  sinful  and  wicked,  that 
the  punishment  pronounced  against  it  is  just,  and  that  you  have  no 
means  of  escape  except  through  Christ;  and  then,  you  have  from  this 
moment  forth  to  set  your  face  against  sin,  go  right  into  a  course  of 
religious  duties,  such  as  conscience  and  the  Bible  direct,  not  with  the 
hope  of  working  out  your  salvation  by  them,  but  because  it  is  right 
and  proper,  and  God  requires  it.  For  the  rest,  you  may  then  safely 
trust  to  God.  'He  will  in  nowise  cast  out  them  who  come  unto  him 
through  Christ.'  And  if  you  think  that  God  has  not  yet  heard  your 
prayer  and  blessed  you  in  your  first  attempt  to  close  in  with  Christ, 
make  another,  and  another,  with  full  purpose  of  heart,  never  to  give 
over,  and  believe  always  that  the  fault  is  on  your  side,  and  that  if 
you  come  unto  him  truly,  God  will  in  nowise  refuse  you." 

Thus,  while  engaged  in  winning  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  at  the  University,  he  could  and  did  travail  over  many  other 
things.  He  had  a  considerable  list  of  correspondents,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  home  folks.  He  still  swapped  interesting  letters 
with  Mrs.  John  Holt  Rice,  and  with  Moses  Drury  Hoge, 
amongst  others  at  Hampden-Sidney,  who  have  not  ceased  to 
regret  his  absence  from  the  Hill.  In  his  letters  to  Mr.  Hoge  he 
discusses  freely  the  character  and  place  of  Hampden-Sidney 
College,  and  suggests  certain  needed  changes.  He  says,  in  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Hoge,  dated  January  9,  1840: 

"We  greatly  need  such  an  institution  as  Hampden-Sidney  College 
might  be  and  ought  to  be.     The  University  was  not  intended  by  its 


Life  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  73 

founders  as  an  academy  to  drill  boys  through  the  algebra,  and  geome- 
try, and  the  time  of  the  professors  ought  not  to  be  so  spent.  This  is 
a  part  of  education  which  belongs  to  the  secondary  colleges ;  and  the 
literature  of  our  State  will  not  reach  the  proper  standard  until  this 
office  is  left  to  the  colleges,  and  the  University  is  reserved  to  those 
who  have  already  become  well-grounded  in  the  principles  of  science, 
and  who  wish  to  pursue  their  studies  further." 

In  another  letter  to  Mr.  Hoge  from  the  University,  dated 
March  31st  (year  not  given)  he  shows  that  the  old  College 
receives  a  good  deal  of  thought  on  his  part.     He  says : 

''There  are  a  few  things  which  I  should  like  to  see  well  represented 
to  the  Trustees.  They  are  essential  to  the  permanent  well-being  of 
the  College,  but  were  neglected  when  I  was  there,  and  most  probably 
are  now.  The  first  is  strictness  in  the  examinations  for  diplomas.  They 
must  get  out  of  the  notion  of  giving  students  diplomas  merely  because 
they  have  been  there  four  years.  Another  is  to  refuse  a  second  trial 
to  candidates  for  graduation  within  a  few  weeks  after  the  first.  The 
way  they  used  to  have  there  about  this  was  the  most  preposterous  thing 
I  ever  heard  of.  How  can  a  man  make  up  the  deficiencies  of  four  years 
in  a  fortnight?  If  he  is  not  worthy  of  graduation  on  the  20th  of  August, 
how  can  he  be  on  the  15th  of  September?  This  is  just  a  way  of  whip- 
ping the  devil  around  the  stump.  They  had  just  as  well  at  once  resolve 
to  admit  all  to  the  honor,  deserving  or  not,  as  to  practice  it.  Another 
thing  is  the  neglect  of  the  examinations  of  students  entering  college. 
This  ought  to  be  the  strictest  examination  of  all.  The  college  stands 
before  the  world  as  pledged  to  impart  a  degree  of  scholarship  propor- 
tioned to  a  nominal  time  of  four  years,  and  yet,  by  her  own  negligence, 
she  curtails  this  time  to  two  and  one-half,  and  sometimes  two  years. 
Why  does  she  place  herself  at  this  disadvantage  before  the  world? 
I,  if  I  had  graduated,  would  have  gone  through  without  any  regular 
course  of  study  on  algebra.  The  class  I  joined  had  already  passed  over 
it,  and  my  examination  on  it  was  neglected.  Another  is  the  extension 
of  the  course  of  Natural  Science.  This  wide  and  interesting  field  is 
to  be  explored  throughout  in  one  year,  at  the  rate  of  three  lectures  a 
week,  while  the  languages,  comparatively  useless,  occupies  at  least  two 
lectures  a  day  of  the  professor  for  three  years !  The  natural  sciences 
are  worth  all  the  others  put  together,  and  yet  not  a  sixth  of  the  whole 
college  time  is  devoted  to  them.  The  department  of  Natural  Philosophy 
ought  to  be  given  to  another  professor,  and  ought  to  occupy  as  much 
time  as  is  now  devoted  to  both  the  branches.  These  instances  of  weak 
policy,  I  think,  have  done  more  to  injure  the  College  than  the  changes 
of  professors  or  the  want  of  funds,  especially  the  neglect  of  examina- 
tions of  students  entering  college.  This  neglect  was  no  doubt  caused 
by  the  fear  that  if  the  students  were  put  into  a  lower  class  than  they 


74  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

expected  they  would  quit  college.  But  they  had  better  adhere  to  a 
rigid  policy,  if  it  drove  every  student  from  the  college  but  one.  I  wish 
the  Trustees  could  be  made  to  take  a  plain,  common-sense  view  of  these 
matters.  Any  suggestion  coming  from  me.  a  mere  boy,  and  not  per- 
sonally known  to  them,  they  would,  of  course,  treat  wnth  contempt.  I 
think  the  most  of  them  are  very  blameable  for  their  neglect  of  the 
interests  of  the  College."  * 

He  sometimes  writes  to  his  Hampden-Sidney  friends  twice 
to  their  once,  after  his  old  habit,  so  that  Mr.  Hoge  says,  in  his 
charming  way,  on  the  7th  of  January,  1842,  "It  seems  to  me 
that  your  pen  is  always  rampant — curling  its  very  feathers  with 
impatience  to  entertain  some  far-away  acquaintance.  Wonder 
not  if  you  excel  your  friends  in  the  possession  of  such  a  ready 
servant,  as  in  other  things."  The  fountain  of  energy  in  him 
ran  a  bold  stream,  and  the  waters  divided  and  ran  in  many 
fructifying  channels. 

The  students  of  to-day  of  small  means  may  be  glad  to  learn 
how  his  expenses  were  paid.  He  had  earned  six  hundred 
dollars  by  keeping  school  in  the  interim  between  his  student 
days  at  Hampden-Sidney  and  those  at  the  University.  He  sold 
a  horse,  which  his  mother  had  given  him,  for  about  one  hundred, 
and  fifty  dollars,  his  mother  gave  him  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  dollars,  and  he  borrowed  during  the  last  session  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  from  a  friend  of  his.  Col.  Harris.  His 
most  expensive  year  at  the  University  was  the  second,  during 
which,  on  account  of  the  early  hours  of  some  of  the  lectures, 
he  had  to  live  on  the  grounds.  His  expenses  for  that  year  were 
four  hundred  dollars.  He  denied  himself  everything  but  the 
necessaries.  By  boarding  in  the  house  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis, 
five  miles  and  more  from  the  LTniversity,  during  the  first  and 
last  sessions,  he  got  through  on  much  less  for  the  session. 

Many  young  men  would  have  thought  the  riding  back  and 
forth,  over  five  and  a  half  miles  of  muddy  road  a  day,  too  big  a 
price  to  pay  for  an  education.  This  lank  youth,  of  noble 
ambixion  and  heroic  will,  was  philosopher  enough  to  hope  that 
those  long,  cold,  muddy  horseback  rides  would  improve  his 
health  ;  and  his  health  was.  perhaps,  the  better  for  it.  Certain 
it  is  that  his  year  of  residence  on  the  grounds,  with  its  press  of 

*  This  letter  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  R.  L.  Traylor,  Richmond,  Va. 
Mr.  Dabney  came  afterwards  to  take  a  much  higher  view  of  the  relative 
value  of  the  ancient  languages  than  is  here  taken. 


Life  at  the  University  of  A'irginia.  75 

work,  saw  him  sick,  at  the  close- of  the  session,  of  an  attack  that 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  subsequent  years  of  ill-health. 

Many  young  candidates  for  the  ministry,  instead  of  practicing 
this  severe  economy,  and  taking  these  long  horseback  rides 
throughout  two  sessions,  would  have  availed  themselves  of  the 
concessions  of  tuition  fees  to  students  of  their  class ;  but  this, 
thank  God!  was  not  young  Dabney's  way.  He  knew  what 
personal  consecration  meant,  that  it  involved  his  being  careful 
about  all  use  of  public  moneys.  He  was  not  afraid  of  enduring 
hardness  as  a  good  soldier.  He  was  so  masculine  in  his  Chris- 
tian character  that  he  preferred,  from  head  to  foot,  "to  paddle 
his  own  canoe."     He  had  the  independence  of  manly  strength. 

When  he  left  the  University,  at  the  close  of  the  third  session, 
he  left  with  his  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  which  he  had  de- 
termined to  win,  in  his  possession,  and  with  a  mind  enriched 
and  ennobled. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   INTERVAL    BETWEEN   HIS    UNIVERSITY    AND 
SEMINARY   LIFE. 

(July  6,  1842— October,  1844.) 

Mind  made  up  to  Study  for  the  Ministry. — Reasons  for  not  Going 
TO  THE  Seminary  at  once. — Manner  in  which  this  Interval  was 
Actually  put  in  :  Managing  the  Farm,  Teaching  Classic.\l 
Schools,  Getting  Means  with  which  to  go  through  the  Semi- 
nary, Reading  and  Correspondence. — Other  Vocations  Offered. — 
Determined  to  the  Ministry. 

IN  his  later  days,  Dr.  Dabney  was  accustomed  to  speak  of 
himself  as  having  made  up  his  mind  to  preach  the  gospel 
before  going  to  the  University ;  but  there  are  pretty  good 
reasons  for  thinking  that  he  was  unwilling  at  the  time  to  make 
an  open  announcement  of  his  purpose.  His  mother's  pastor, 
the  Rev.  James  Wharey,  in  a  letter,  dated  January  17,  1841, 
urged  the  claims  of  the  ministry  on  his  attention,  saying, 
amongs  other  things : 

"Have  you  not  determined  to  devote  3'ourself  to  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel?  There  is  a  loud  and  pressing  call  at  this  time  for  more 
ministers.  I  hope  that  you  will  find  it  to  be  your  duty  to  turn  your 
attention  that  way.  It  is  the  way  to  usefulness  and  respectability,  it 
not  to  honor  and  wealth.  Think  prayerfully  on  this  subject;  and  may 
the  Lord  guide  you." 

From  these  words  it  is  clear  that  Mr.  Wharey  did  not  regard 
the  matter  as  settled.  Elsewhere  we  learn,  also,  that  while 
young  Dabney  was  anxious  to  secure  an  abatement  of  fees  at 
the  University,  he  would  not  receive  gratuitous  tuition,  seventy- 
five  dollars  per  aiinuiu,  conditioned  on  a  declaration  that  he  was 
a  candidate  for  the  ministry.  This  had  been  offered.  He 
refused  it.  He  did  not  relish  being  treated  differently  because 
he  was  a  candidate  for  the  sacred  office.  It  seems  that  he  would 
not  have  been  willing  to  accept  this  abatement  had  he  been 
ready  to  declare  himself ;  1)ut  it  was  clear  that  he  was  not  ready 
to  commit  himself  pul)licly.  His  purpose  to  be  a  minister  was 
probably  firmly  lixed  in  his  own  mind  before  he  entered  the 


IXTEKVAL  BETWEEX   UNIVERSITY  AND   SEMINARY  LlEE.      // 

University,  but  his  caution  and  strong  sense  of  responsibility 
would  naturally  lead  him  to  maintain  a  prudent  silence  for  some 
years.  By  the  time  he  is  ready  to  leave  the  University,  however, 
his  friends  generally,  as  his  correspondents  show,  understand 
that  he  expects  to  be  a  minister. 

Accordingly,  many  of  those  friends  expected  and  desired  to 
see  him  go  straight  to  the  Seminary  for  the  study  of  divinity. 
Young  Moses  Drury  Hoge  exhorts,  and  would  command  him 
if  he  could,  to  come  straightway  to  the  Seminary.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Reuben  Lewis,  who  have  come  to  look  upon  him  with  the 
affection  of  parents  for  a  son,  deprecate  his  stopping  midway 
in  his  preparation,  to  begin  again  after  an  interval.  They  think 
he  ought  to  go  right  on,  as  the  Seminary  course  is  itself  a  long 
one.  Others,  in  like  manner,  urge  him  to  this  step.  But  for 
certain  reasons  he  decided  not  to  do  as  these  friends  had  urged. 
His  brother  Francis  was  still  quite  a  boy,  and  had  made  no 
great  success  as  manager  for  his  mother  during  his  one  year 
of  trial  in  that  capacity.  Besides,  he  was  precisely  at  that  age 
when  he  ought  to  have  been  attending  college,  if  he  was  to 
take  such  a  course  of  training  at  all.  Betty,  the  youngest 
daughter  of  his  mother,  and  his  best  beloved  sister,  was  also  in 
need  of  a  capable  and  scholarly  and  efficient  teacher;  but  the 
expenses  of  sending  Frank  to  college,  and  of  procuring  a  suit- 
able tutor  for  Betty,  would  be  too  heavy  for  his  mother,  who 
had  fallen  somewhat  into  debt  again  during  Robert's  career  in 
the  University.  He  felt  that  she  needed  and  was  entitled  to  his 
help.  He  decided  to  become  himself  the  manager  of  her  farm 
until  he  could  secure  a  good  man  to  take  the  place,  decided  to 
act  as  tutor  to  his  sister  Betty,  and  to  replenish  his  own  treasury 
by  teaching  a  classical  school,  and  so  to  be  able  to  relieve  his 
mother  of  embarrassment,  to  pay  his  own  debt  to  Col.  William 
Harris,  and  to  lay  up  something  on  which  to  live  while  in  the 
course  of  Seminary  training. 

He  spent  the  last  half  of  the  year  1842  as  manager  for  his 
mother.  The  crops,  which  he  found  in  weeds  and  grass  when 
he  got  home  from  the  University,  he  put  into  order,  and  on 
their  maturity,  garnered  them,  wound  up  the  year,  and  procured 
a  manager.  He  sent  his  brother  Frank  to  the  Virginia  Military 
Institute.  He  opened  a  small  classical  school  in  his  mother's 
house,  from  which  he  derived  an  income  of  about  four  hundred 
dollars  a  year.  In  connection  with  this  school  he  taught  his 
sister   Betty,   who   blossomed,    under   his   tuition,    into   a   fine 


78  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dadney. 

scholar,  reatling'  French  and  Latin  with  remarkable  ease.  He 
threw  himself,  with  his  characteristic  energy,  into  this  work. 
Amongst  other  things:  he  wrote  for  his  sister  Betty  an  entire 
Latin  Grammar,  Part  L,  in  which  he  set  forth,  in  his  own  way, 
the  principles  which  govern  word  formation.  The  handwriting 
is,  as  always,  somewhat  cramped,  but  neat,  clear  and  easily 
legible.  This  manuscript  volume  contains  one  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  closely  written  duodecimo  pages.  It  it  bound  in 
blue  manilla  paper.     On  the  title  page  are  the  words : 

"GRAMMATICA  LATINA. 

In  tisiiiii 
Sororis  sercnissiincc." 

The  first  and  second  pages  rcrhcitiiu  are  as  follows: 

I. 
"Principles  of  Etymology. 

'"If  any  language  consisted  of  words  which  underwent  no  changes, 
either  of  sense  or  form,  the  labor  of  learning  it  would  be  confined 
wholly  to  learning  the  meaning  of  the  words.  The  language  would 
have  neither  accidence  nor  syntax,  and  the  labor  of  the  grammarian 
would  be  nothing.  But  the  Latin  language,  as  does  every  other,  admits 
of  changes  both  of  sense  and  of  form,  to  a  great  extent,  and  it  is  the 
part  of  etymology  to  describe  these  changes  and  to  give  the  rules  which 
regulate  them.  The  change  of  form  is  intended  to  I'epresent  a  change 
of  sense,  and,  consequently,  we  may  usually  expect  that  the  former  will 
not  take  place  without  the  latter.     But — 

"(i.)  A  word  often  changes  its  sense  without  changing  its  foruL 
They  often,  indeed  almost  always,  have  a  meaning  derived  directly 
from  their  composition,  which  is  considered  as  the  leading  or  primary 
meaning,  and  then  they  have  several  secondary  meanings  flowing  from 
the  first,  in  succession,  by  some  obvious  principle  of  similarity,  or  by 
taking  them  in  a  figurative  sense.  Thus :  Lingua  means,  primarily, 
a  tongue,  hence  it  is  used  to  mean  a  language — the  tongue  being  sup- 
posed to  be  the  organ  of  speech.  J'irtus  is  derived  from  vir,  and  means 
manhood:  hence,  hardihood,  courage,  and  lastly,  in  our  language, 
virtue,  because,  among  a  rude  and  warlike  people,  courage  is  regarded 
as  the  chief  virtue.  If  the  student  would  learn  the  true  powers  of 
words,  he  must  seek  first  this  primary  meaning,  and  see  hcnv  the  otlier 
meanings  t^ow  from  it. 

"(2. ')  A  word  often  changes  its  sense,  without  other  change  of  form 
tlian  is  necessary,  in  passing  from  one  language  to  another.  Example: 
In  Greek,  hot/jr^  is  the  neuter  of  an  adjective  which  means  hollow, 
concare.  In  Latin  it  is  written  Caelum,  and  means  the  sky,  which  is 
concave.      '/'^tyw,  I  stretch,  in  Latin  is  Tendo." 


Interval  between  University  and  Seminary  Life.    79 

The  production  of  this  vohime,  which  to  most,  even  of  the 
Master  of  Arts  graduates  of  his  alma  mater,  would  be  a  tedious 
and  irksome,  if  not  an  impossible  labor,  was  simply  a  pleasure- 
able  vent  for  his  overflowing  energies.  Of  course,  it  is  a 
philosophic  etymology  of  the  Latin.  Probably  few  of  the  great 
philologians  of  the  country  would  agree  to  all  of  the  explana- 
tions, but  it  was  fitted  to  interest  the  student,  and  to  make  her 
think.  It  is  the  work  of  one  with  the  instinct  of  the  teacher 
born  in  him. 

For  his  teaching  in  this  period  he  took  in  about  eight  hundred 
dollars.  With  this  he  was  enabled  to  repay  to  Col.  Harris  his 
loan  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  to  restock  his  wardrobe, 
and  to  contemplate  with  equanimity  the  relatively  small  ex- 
penses to  be  incurred  in  two  years  of  seminary  life.  This  was 
in  addition  to  his  satisfaction  from  the  improved  income  of  his 
mother,  which  was  owing  to  his  supervision  of  her  affairs,  and 
to  the  pleasure  which  he  derived  from  having  conducted  his 
sister  iJetty's  education  to  its  completion. 

Mr.  Dabney's  letters  of  this  period  have  apparently  been  lost 
for  the  most  part.  He  corresponded  much,  for  he  has  saved 
letters  from  many  persons  received  in  these  years.  They  con- 
tain many  allusions  to  his  letters,  and  show  clearly,  if  inciden- 
tally, that,  though  living  a  retired  and  sequestered  life,  his 
mind  was  careering  around  over  all  the  sphere  of  the  individual 
histories  of  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  the  current  questions 
in  politics  and  religion,  and  in  science.  Amongst  his  corres- 
pondents are  two  venerable  old  ladies,  quondam  University 
friends,  and  Moses  Drury  Hoge.  He  wrote  some  at  this  time 
for  political  as  well  as  religious  papers.  His  friend  Hoge  thinks 
so,  and  congratulates  him  on  the  successful  cover  of  his  identity, 
which  he  had  found  in  his  pen  name.  One  of  the  articles  which 
he  published  at  the  time  was  on  "The  Probable  Sum  of  the 
Numbers  of  All  the  Generations  since  Adam."  This  came  out 
in  the  Watchman  of  the  South,  about  the  spring  of  1843. 
Amongst  his  unpublished  manuscripts  of  the  period  are  "Jeho- 
ash:  A  Sacred  Drama,"  translated  from  the  Italian  of  Aletas- 
tasio;  "North  Wind's  Autobiography,"  in  fifteen  stanzas  of 
nine  lines  each,  and  a  "Valentine,"  in  four  stanzas  of  four  lines 
each.  These  papers  show  that  he  had  the  itch  for  versification 
in  his  early  days,  as  well  as  in  his  old  age.  Indeed,  throughout 
life  he  was  wont  to  employ  odd  moments  of  leisure  in  this 
fashion.     His  translation  of  Metastasio  makes  easv  reading. 


8o  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

He  was  a  man  capable  of  success  in  any  one  of  many  fields. 
and  efforts  were  made  to  secure  him  for  other  work  than  that 
which  he  had  cut  out  for  himself.  Mr.  Thomas  Ritchie,  the 
distinguished  editor  of  the  Richmond  Enquirer,  and  one  of  the 
dominating  men  in  the  councils  of  the  Virginia  Democrats  of 
his  day,  and  the  Richmond  Campaign  Committee,  offered  Air. 
Dabney  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred  dollars  a  year,  with  a  con- 
tingent interest  in  the  net  profits,  on  condition  of  his  becoming 
editor  of  the  party  organ  in  Petersburg.  This  gives  color  to 
the  view  that  Mr.  Dabney  had  shown  his  skill  already  in  news- 
paper debate.  His  friend,  John  S.  Caskie,  of  Richmond, 
strongly  urged  him  to  accept  this  work.  He  writes,  in  a  letter 
of  September  23rd  (year  is  not  given)  : 

"Dabney,  depend  upon  it,  you  can  do  this  great  service  to  your 
party  and  yourself.  I  am  no  flatterer,  but  must  be  permitted  to  say 
that  in  my  estimation  there  is  no  man  of  your  age  in  the  Union  your 
superior  as  a  writer.  In  the  editorial  chair  you  would  powerfully  aid 
a  great  and  glorious  cause,  and  in  so  doing  would  win  for  3'ourself  a 
reputation  wide  and  high.  Nature  meant  you  for  an  editor.  If  you  be 
a  Calhoun  man,  I  know  your  heart  is  glowing  in  his  behalf,  and  now 
here  is  an  opportunity  to  do  him  and  your  country  service." 

In  the  summer  of  1843,  ^^-  Dabney  had  the  pleasure  of 
declining  another  offer  of  employment  of  a  more  peaceful  kind. 
Dr.  S.  Maupin  needed  some  one  to  fill  the  place  of  the  classical 
teacher  in  his  school  in  Richmond.  Certain  gentlemen  called 
his  attention  to  Robert  L.  Dabney,  of  Louisa.  The  salary 
offered  to  this  post  seems  to  have  been  seven  hundred  dollars 
per  annum.  This  place,  though  possessing  certain  incidental 
advantages,  Mr.  Dabney  could  not  accept  without  sacrifice.  At 
home  he  was  educating  his  sister,  giving  a  very  helpful,  if 
general,  supervision  to  his  mother's  business,  and,  in  addition, 
taking  in  for  his  teaching  of  outsiders  four  hundred  dollars  in 
the  course  of  a  session.  But  this,  as  well  as  the  other  offer, 
shows  the  general  esteem  in  which  he  was  held,  and  that  he  had 
at  the  early  age  of  twenty-three  won  an  enviable  reputation. 

This  reputation  was  deserved.  He  had  developed  himself 
on  many  sides,  and  was  competent  to  distinguished  work  in 
many  different  departments  of  life;  but  he  was  fixed  in  his 
resolution  to  be  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  with  a  mind  at 
ease  concerning  his  inother's  family,  he  repaired,  during  the 
early  days  of  November,  1844,  to  Hampden-Sidney,  to  be  ready 


Interval  between  University  and  Seminary  Life.    8i 

for  the  work  of  the  Seminary  on  its  opening.     Soon  after,  he 
presented  the  following  introductory  letter  to  the  Faculty : 

'■Richmond,  Va.,  Novonhcr  7,  1844. 
^'To  the  Faculty  of  Union  Seminary. 

"Dear  Brethren:  Although  the  bearer,  Mr.  Robert  Dabney,  has 
"been  introduced  to  all  of  you,  yet  you  may  not  remember  him.  At  all 
events,  I  take  great  pleasure  in  saying  to  you  that  he  has  my  entire 
confidence  as  a  gentleman,  Christian  and  scholar.  I  have  known  him 
for  some  time,  and  have  always  highly  esteemed  him  and  all  his  family. 
I  hope  you  will  give  him  your  confidence  from  the  first.  He  is  a  candi- 
date for  the  ministry  under  the  care  of  West  Hanover  Presbytery. 
I  trust  his  time  at  the  Seminary  will  be  spent  pleasantly. 

"Accept  my  kind  regards  for  yourselves  and  your  families. 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"Wm.  S.  Plummer." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

STUDENT  LIFE  AT  UNION  SEMINARY. 
(November,  1844 — -^lay,  1846.) 

Union  Seminary  in  1844. — Mr.  Dabney's  Journey  thither. — His 
Room  in  Seminary  Building. — His  Boarding-place. — Impressions 
OF  THE  Faculty  ;  of  his  Fellow-students  ;  of  "the  Hill"  People  ; 
of  the  People  of  Prince  Edward  county. — Time  he  Spent  here 
AS  a  Student. — His  Energies  in  Study. — Efforts  to  Preach. — 
The  Criticisms. — Efforts  to  Write. — Forms  of  Exercise. — Forms 
of  Recreation. — His  Correspondence. — His  Licensure. — Comple- 
tion OF  Studies  at  the  Seminary. 

UNION  SEMINARY  was  under  a  cloud  of  depression  in 
1844.  There  was  a  Faculty  of  three  professors,  viz.,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  B.  Wilson,  D.  D.,  professor  of  Systematic  and 
Polemic  Theology ;  the  Rev.  Samuel  L.  Graham,  D.  D.,  profes- 
sor of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity,  and  the  Rev.  Francis 
S.  Sampson,  D.  D.,  professor  of  Oriental  Literature.  There 
were  only  eighteen  students  on  the  roll,  whereas  there  were 
nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  at  Princeton.  There  were  few 
candidates  for  the  ministry  in  the  Synods  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina ;  some  of  those  few  were  attending  the  Semi- 
nary at  Columbia,  and  others  were  at  Princeton.  Mr.  Dabney 
seems  to  have  had  some  difificulty  in  deciding  where  he  was  to 
go  for  his  theological  training ;  Ijut  he  was.  even  at  this  early 
period,  an  advocate  for  building  up  our  own  peculiar  home 
institutions.  This  decided  him  in  favor  of  Hampden-Sidney. 
In  the  early  days  of  November.  1844.  he  set  out  from  his 
mother's  home.  Certain  considerations  seem  to  have  called 
him  by  Richmond,  whence  he  went  by  canal-boat  to  Cartersville, 
in  Cumberland  county,  and  thence  by  stage  to  his  destination, 
at  Hampden-Sidi-.ey.  Our  facilities  of  travel  have  improved 
since  his  dav,  and  the  manners  of  those  who  officer  the  lines. 
He  wrote  to  his  mother  on  the  12th  of  November.  1844: 

"I  took  the  canai-hoal  Friday  evening  as  I  e.xpcclcd,  and  found  tlie 
captain  drunk.  He  had  a  fight  in  the  boat  with  one  of  the  passengers 
wlio   was   also   (b"unk-.    an    old    Irishman    named    Irving,    who    li\'cs   near 


Student  Life  at  Union  Seminary.  83 

Cartersville.  The  chief  part  of  the  fight  took  place  at  the  supper-table, 
and  made  one  of  the  most  disagreeable  scenes  I  ever  saw.  I  suppose, 
if  the  captain  met  his  deserts,  he  has  been  discharged  before  this  time. 
I  arrived  at  Prince  Edward  Courthouse  a  little  after  dinner  Saturday, 
having  had  a  very  pleasant  trip  in  the  stage,  except  the  cold  in  the 
morning." 

He  was  soon  domiciled  in  his  room  in  the  main  bttilding  of 
the  Seminary.  He  describes  his  room,  in  a  letter  to  his  brother 
William,  dated  November  22,  1844,  in  the  following-  terms: 

"My  situation  here  is  very  much  what  I  anticipated,  and  in  some 
fespects  better.  I  have  a  good  room  up  two  pair  of  stairs,  facing  the 
south,  with  two  windows,  a  convenient  closet,  and  sufficient  furniture 
of  the  plainest  sort." 

Of  his  boarding-place  he  writes,  in  the  same  letter : 

"The  living  with  the  steward  is,  upon  the  whole,  much  better  than  I 
expected  to  find  it,  although  there  is  still  room  for  improvement.  One 
thing  was  rather  annoying  to  me  at  first— we  sit  upon  long,  and  not 
very  nice  benches  at  our  meals.  We  have  good  bacon,  and  beef,  and 
sometimes  fowls,  and  a  little  milk.  We  shall  all  make  out  doubtless  to 
eat  as  much  as  we  ought." 

Of  the  Faculty  he  has  noted  his  first  impressions  as  follows : 

"Dr.  Wilson  is  an  old  Virginia  gentleman,  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word,  mild,  polite,  and  courteous,  and  still,  natural  and  dignified.  Dr. 
Sampson  and  his  wife  are  both  very  clever." 

He  soon  came  to  have  a  profound  veneration  for  the  person 
and  character  of  Prof.  Sampson.     In  his  old  age  he  wrote,  too: 

"Let  me  say  that  if  I  ever  had  any  special  intellectual  growth  and 
vigor,  I  owed  it  to  three  things,  first,  to  the  Master  of  Arts  course  in 
the  University  of  Virginia,  second,  to  Dr.  Sampson,  and  third,  to  my 
subsequent  mastery  of  Turretin." 

Of  Dr.  Graham  he  wrote,  in  the  letter  already  repeatedly 
quoted : 

"Hoge's  remark  seems  perfectly  true,  that  when  you  visit  him,  the 
only  smile  that  illumines  his  countenance  is  when  you  take  your  leave. 
I  do  not  expect  I  shall  ever  enter  his  house  as  a  visitor." 

This  was  not  a  true  prophecy ;  our  prophet's  letters  of  a  later 
date  betray  a  rather  unusual  intimacy  between  Mr.  Dabney  and 


84  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

this  same  cold  Dr.  Graham,  and  he  must  have  found  Dr.  Gra- 
ham's house  a  sufficiently  comfortable  place  on  occasion.  He 
writes  to  his  mother,  on  December  4,  1845: 

"Last  night  I  went  to  a  little  gathering  of  young  folks  at  Dr.  Gra- 
ham's, a  real  old-fashioned  candy  stew.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Graham  is  a  very 
old-fashioned  sort  of  body,  and  does  everything  at  her  house  pretty 
much  as  it  is  done  in  the  country,  and  we  had  quite  an  old-fashioned 
frolic." 

Now,  generally,  the  word  "old-fashioned"  in  Mr.  Dabney's 
mouth  means  something  superlatively  good. 

Of  his  fellow-students  he  writes,  November  22,  1844: 

"There  are  about  eighteen  students  here.  There  are  a  few  of  them 
of  good  families,  and  of  pretty  high  character,  as  to  acquirement  and 
manners.  The  rest  seem  to  be  just  what  Aunt  Coles  would  call  'good 
creatures,'  very  kind  and  quiet  and  very  uninteresting.  All  of  them,  I 
believe,  are  young  men  in  limited  circumstances.  Not  many  of  the  rich 
of  this  world  cast  in  their  lot  among  us.  Some  of  them  are  sons  of 
mechanics,  and  are  supported  partly  by  charity,  or  by  school  teaching, 
and  so  forth.  When  I  consider  the  way  in  which  ministers  are  generally 
received  into  the  best  society  of  the  country  in  which  they  live,  and  the 
power  they  have  of  giving  a  tone  to  manners  and  feeling  in  the  com- 
munity, there  often  arises  a  feeling  of  repulsion  against  this  class  of 
candidates  for  the  responsible  duties  of  the  office.  But,  upon  the  whole, 
it  is  right,  I  am  convinced,  to  employ  such  materials  unless  better  can 
be  found.  In  a  great  house  there  must  be  vessels  for  honor  and  for 
dishonor.  These  sorts  of  preachers  generally  find  their  level,  after  a 
little  fluctuating,  and  either  learn  the  air  and  deportment  of  gentlemen, 
if  they  have  quick  parts,  or  else  find  their  proper  place  in  some  plain 
neighborhood,  and  work  to  advantage  among  people  of  their  own  class. 
There  is  much  ministerial  work  for  which  the  refinement  and  sensibili- 
:ties  of  gentlemen  would  almost  disqualify  them,  which  these  sorts  of 
men  can  do  without  repugnance;  and  it  should  be  said,  too,  that  they 
:are  generally  very  exemplary  and  correct  in  their  characters.  In  this 
rrespect,  too  much  honor  cannot  be  done  them;  and,  upon  the  whole, 
tthere  are  not  more  men  of  this  grade  in  the  ministry — nay,  not  near  so 
many — as  ambition  or  avarice  has  pushed  into  the  other  genteel  pro- 
fessions. It  is  quite  surprising  to  what  an  extent  they  do  shed  their 
native  rudeness.  The  strict  morals,  the  literary  pursuits,  and  self- 
denying  manners,  which  they  are  obliged  to  cultivate,  does  as  much 
towards  making  them  real  gentlemen  as  anything  could.  There  is  a 
voung  man  here  now,  .  .  .  the  son  of  a  mechanic,  who  is  really  quite 
an  accomplished  fellow.  We  have  also  a  young  man  who  was  once  a 
Catholic,  a  brother  of  Prof.   Ewell,  of  Hampden-Sidney  College." 


Student  Life  at  Union  Seminary.  85 

During  the  first  year  there  were  amongst  his  fellow-students 
the  following,  who  afterwards  became  well  known  throughout 
the  church,  viz. :  William  T.  Richardson,  for  many  years  editor 
of  the  Central  Presbyterian;  Jacob  Henry  Smith,  long  one  of 
the  leading  pastors  and  preachers  of  the  Synod  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  of  the  whole  church ;  Williarn  Stoddert,  a  man  of 
many  marked  idiosyncrasies,  but  of  eminent  talents,  and  much 
beloved  wherever  known ;  Clement  Read  Vaughan,  for  some 
time  professor  of  Systematic  and  Polemic  Theology  in  Union 
Seminary,  his  alma  mater,  a  prince  and  great  man  in  Israel,  and 
a  most  intimate  and  life-long  friend  of  Robert  L.  Dabney.  John 
Marshall  Grasty,  of  the  class  next  in  succession  to  Dr.  Dabney's, 
also  became  widely  known  as  a  racy  and  evangelical  writer  and 
preacher.  In  this  little  class  of  five  was  also  William  Henry 
Ruffner,  a  man  known  and  venerated  throughout  Virginia,  and 
more  widely  still  for  ministerial  gifts,  and  in  his  later  years  for 
services  in  behalf  of  public  instruction.  So  small  was  the 
attendance  on  the  Seminary  at  the  time,  that  his  two-years' 
residence  there  seems  to  have  brought  him  into  contact  with 
less  than  twenty-four  fellow-students  in  that  institution.  Of 
certain  of  these  brethren,  it  was  a  grief  to  Mr.  Dabney  that  he 
could  see  so  little.  Mr.  Richardson,  whom  he  had  known  both 
at  Hampden-Sidney  College  and  at  the  University  of  Virginia, 
and  for  whose  character  he  entertained  great  esteem,  was  a 
tutor  in  College,  and  consequently  had  his  lodgings  there. 
After  a  little,  he  found  in  Mr.  Vaughan,  perhaps,  his  most  con- 
genial companion.  A  laughable  incident  in  the  life  of  one  of 
his  fellow-students  was  celebrated,  one  night  after  hearing  it, 
by  young  Dabney  in  eighty-five  iambic  hexameter  lines,  show- 
ing that  he  was  able  to  get  something  out  of  the  lives  even  of 
those  between  whom  and  himself  there  was  little  congeni- 
ality.i 

Of  the  people  on  the  Hill  he  took  a  view,  which,  not  unfavor- 
able at  first,  rose  steadily  as  long  as  he  stayed  there.  There 
had  been  many  changes  in  the  Faculties  of  the  College  and  the 
Seminary  since  he  had  left  the  College  in  the  year  1837.     The 

^  The  incident  which  excited  this  ebullition  was  the  adventure  of  one 
of  the  brethren  with  the  house  dog  of  the  gentleman  who  kept  the 
refectory.  The  brother  had  gone  to  the  well  for  water.  The  dog  ap- 
peared, and  the  brother  climbed  a  tree.  There  he  sat  until  nearly  frozen. 
He  climbed  down.  The  dog  ran.  The  poet  narrated  the  incident,  and 
draws  a  moral. 


86  Life  and  Letters  of  Rocert  Lewis  Dabxev. 

great  Dr.  Baxter  had  died  in  1841,  and  his  family,  who  had  kept 
open  house,  were  gone.  The  magnetic  Dr.  Stephen  Taylor  was 
gone ;  Dr.  Goodrich  was  gone.  There  was  a  new  Seminary 
Faculty,  with  their  families.  The  changes  in  the  College  had 
been  hardly  less  sweeping,  so  that  the  personnel  of  the  Hill  was 
almost  entirely  changed  when  he  went  back  in  the  fall  of  1844. 
He  writes : 

"My  old  associations  here  are  almost  entirely  broken  up.  and  the 
sight  of  so  many  familiar  places  unpeopled  of  all  their  former  occupants 
makes  me  feel  very  lonely.  Mrs.  Rice  (the  venerable  widow  of  Dr. 
John  Holt  Rice)  is  still  here,  and  promises  to  make  an  agreeable 
companion,  as  formerly." 

He  found  there  also  Mrs.  Wharey,  the  wife  of  the  old  pastor 
from  Louisa,  and  after  a  little,  enlarged  his  "list  of  widows," 
making  it  include  Mrs.  Rice,  Mrs.  Caruthers,  "the  widowed 
daughter  of  Dr.  Wilson" ;  Mrs.  Wharey,  and  Mrs.  Palmer. 
Mrs.  Rice  and  Mrs.  Caruthers  were  very  sprightly  and  accom- 
plished ladies,  compelling  the  highest  respect  for  their  charac- 
ters as  well.  They  were  his  favorites  amongst  the  ladies.  He 
visited  them  often,  and  has  not  a  little  to  say  of  the  pleasure  and 
profit  to  be  derived  from  their  conversation.  The  wife  of  one 
of  the  venerable  professors,  he  learns,  is  addicted  to  the  use  of 
the  pipe,  and  he  tries  to  sectire  from  his  own  regions  some 
peculiarly  delicate  tobacco,  that  she  may  enjoy  this  small  vice 
all  the  more. 

(^f  the  larger  community  about  the  Hill  his  opinion  rises  just 
in  proportion  to  the  extension  of  his  acquaintance.  He  pro- 
nounces the  people  of  Prince  Edward  county,  marked  for  their 
sttperior  intelligence,  culture  and  character,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  they  were  generally  people  of  very  moderate 
means.  We  'shall  see,  after  a  little,  that  he  enjoyed  hugely  short 
visits  to  these  most  excellent  and  hospitable  people. 

Mr.  Dabney  began  his  studies  in  L'nion  Seminary  early  in 
November.  1844,  and  completed  them  in  May,  1846.  Prior  to 
.  1845,  the  Seminary  had  two  sessions  a  year:  a  summer  session 
of  four  months,  June  to  September,  inclusive,  and  a  winter 
session  of  si.x  months,  November  to  April,  inclusive.  The 
vacations  were  May  and  October.  Tn  1845,  the  session  was 
changed,  and  made  to  be  of  nine  months,  beginning  with  Sep- 
tember and  ending  with  May.  In  these  two  years  Mr.  Dabney 
completed  the  three  years'  course,  served  Dr.  Graham  by  copy- 


Stldext  Life  at  Uixiox  Seminary.  87 

ing  a  manuscript  of  his  in  preparation  for  the  printer,  wrote 
some  articles  for  publication,  took  an  unusual  interest  in  all 
preaching  and  forensic  enterprises,  read  somewhat  widely, 
visited  a  good  deal,  made  some  excursions,  and  spent  his  surplus 
energy  in  corresponding.  He  was  the  most  distinguished 
student  of  his  classes,  and  received  the  usual  certificate  of  grad- 
uation conferred  in  his  day. 

He  was  remarkable  amongst  his  fellow-students,  not  for  the 
time  he  pored  over  his  books,  but  for  the  intensity  of  effort 
with  which  he  applied  himself  while  at  it.  While  he  worked  he 
worked,  and  when  he  played  he  played. 

He  threw  himself  into  his  preaching  exercises  and  forensics 
Avith  as  much  zeal  as  he  displayed  in  the  preparation  for  his 
recitations.  He  availed  himself  of  all  invitations  to  preach, 
feeling  that  the  way  to  learn  to  do  a  thing  is  to  do  it.  After  his 
first  sermon,  he  writes  to  his  mother  as  follows,  in  a  letter  dated 
July  8,  1845: 

"Last  Sunday  I  preached  my  first  sermon  at  one  of  Dr.  Graham's 
country  churches.  The  congregation  was  small,  pretty  select  and  pretty 
critical,  the  very  worst  sort  of  a  place  to  preach  in  you  ever  saw ;  and, 
besides,  they  only  regard  the  preaching  of  the  seminarians  as  a  sort 
of  imitation  of  the  reality,  and  look  on  with  no  other  feeling  than 
curiosity  to  see  how  complete  the  mimicry  will  be.  I  kept  the  atten- 
tion of  my  congregation  pretty  well ;  only  two  leant  on  their  elbows 
for  a  few  minutes,  'which  I  think  was  very  well  for  so  hot,  sleepy  a 
day.  I  found  preaching  tired  me,  both  body  and  voice,  much  more 
than  I  expected.  The  bodily  labor  is  not  any  great  thing,  but  the 
strain  of  mind  is  so  great  that  when  the  excitement  passes  away  the 
preacher  feels  like  a  drunken  man  sobering.  To  be  obliged  to  talk 
or  keep  company  in  such  a  state  is  almost  torture.  If  you  want  to 
consult  their  comfort  after  preaching,  you  should  give  them,  first  thing, 
some  place  to  lie  down  in  perfect  quiet  and  rest,  especially  if  they  have 
to  preach  a  second  time  the  same  day.  I  was  a  good  deal  agitated, 
but  excitement  usually  makes  me  more  wide-awake,  and  I  avoided  all 
blunders  or  mistakes  completely  until  the  dismission.  Then  I  thought 
the  thing  was  all  over,  and  feeling  perfectly  indifferent  and  self-pos- 
sessed, made  a  mistake  in  giving  out  the  doxology.  I  am  convinced 
by  my  first  trial  that  I  can  never  read  sermons  to  my  people  in  any 
comfort.  Extempore  preaching  is  the  thing  for  me.  I  could  notice 
the  difference  plainly  between  the  paragraphs  I  threw  in,  although  not 
expressed  with  half  as  much  propriety  of  language  as  that  which  was 
on  the  paper.  It  is  much  more  important  that  sinners  should  be  excited 
to  listen  to  the  truth  than  that  I  should  have  the  reputation  of  a  pretty 
writer." 


88  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

During  his  student  days,  however,  he  never  Hked  to  preach 
on  "The  Hill,"  or  in  the  surrounding  community.  The  criti- 
cism, rampant  in  the  place,  and  helpful  in  its  final  influence  on 
the  young  men  going  out  from  the  Seminary,  was  hard  for  him, 
as  well  as  for  most  of  these  brethren  to  bear. 

He  writes  on  the  14th  of  April.  1846: 

"I  rejoice  to  tell  you  that  I  preached  my  last  sermon  in  this  neighbor- 
hood yesterday,  being  a  sermon  to  the  negroes.  There  are  two  things 
which  make  preaching  here  hateful  to  me:  one  is  the  criticising,  part 
of  it  official  by  the  professors,  and  part  voluntary ;  and  the  other  is  the 
fact  that  we  have  hereabouts  the  most  ill-behaved,  gospel-hardened  and 
God-despising  congregations  I  ever  saw.  South  Anna  is  perfect  pro- 
priety to  it.  During  public  prayer,  no  matter  who  preaches,  there  is 
a  constant  whispering  and  shuffling,  and  when  you  open  your  eyes  you 
find  perhaps  that  a  large  part  of  the  congregation  has  changed  its 
position.  Some  who  were  on  one  side  of  the  house  when  you  bowed 
down  in  prayer  are  on  the  opposite  side  when  you  rise  up,  and  some 
have  gone  out.  And  then,  as  Dr.  Graham  says,  they  all  criticise,  from 
suckling  babies  up,  through  the  children,  the  negroes,  and  all.  How- 
ever, all  these  things  move  me  not.  I  have  tried  to  preach  whenever 
my  turn  has  come,  both  to  white  people  and  negroes,  with  plainness 
and  affection,  and  would  continue  to  do  so  if  my  lot  was  cast  here. 

"Regular  criticism  of  our  public  performances  is  an  important  part 
of  the  training  here,  in  its  extent  at  least,  if  not  in  its  good  effects. 
The  effects  I  am  inclined  to  rate  very  low,  unless  perhaps  they  may 
have  some  moral  effect  in  keeping  us  humble.  *  Their  futility,  as  a 
means  of  information,  will  appear  from  a  few  instances.  The  pro- 
fessors criticise  our  sermons,  and  our  fellow-students  the  speeches  we 
make  in  the  debating  society.  Concerning  a  speech  I  made  in  the 
latter,  last  winter,  it  was  claimed  that  I  spoke  too  much  like  a  popular 
declaimer,  with  more  warmth  than  becomes  one  addressing  educated 
and  reflecting  persons,  who  weigh  thoughts,  not  sounds.  The  last  time 
I  preached  in  the  chapel,  Mr.  Sampson  said,  that  as  it  was  the  last 
time  he  should  have  the  opportunity  to  criticise  me,  he  would  inform 
me,  as  he  had  done  twice  before,  that  the  greatest  defect  in  my  preach- 
ing was  the  lack  of  animation!  And,  as  if  this  was  not  strange  enough, 
he  added,  'It  is  true  that  we  all  see  that  Mr.  Dabney  is  animated  him- 
self, but  he  is  unable  to  express  that  animation  to  his  audience!'  Then 
I  should  like  to  ask,  if  I  am  not  able  to  express  it  to  my  audience, 
how  on  earth  do  they  all  notice  that  I  have  it?  Criticisms  as  rational 
and  consistent  as  these  could  only  make  a  man's  style  of  speaking  a 
medley  of  everything  that  was  affected  and  contrary.  The  truth  is. 
what  I  suppose  Mr.  Sampson  felt,  although  he  could  not  .express  it.  I 
have  a  bad  habit  of  exerting  myself  more  than  is  necessary,  while  there 
is  not  sufficient  cadence  in  my  voice  from  high  to  low,  and  from  low 


Student  Life  at  Union  Seminary.  89 

to  high — a  fault  which  I  am  fully  convinced  of,  and  have  long  been 
striving  to  correct.  There  is  one  part  of  the  conduct  of  the  students 
regarding  each  other's  sermons  which  is  worthy  of  all  commendation 
and  of  imitation.  No  one,  after  he  has  preached,  gets  the  remotest 
hint  as  to  what  his  comrades  think  of  his  performance.  However 
much  they  may  admire  it  and  praise  it  to  others,  to  him  they  are  as 
mute  on  the  subject  as  if  it  had  been  a  fatal  failure.  This  effectually 
removes  all  temptations  to  vanity." 

The  manuscripts  which  have  come  down  from  these  years 
show  that  he  was  careful,  painstaking  and  able  in  all  the 
scholastic  duties  connected  with  the  Seminary.  There  is  a 
careful,  thoughtful,  and  up-to-date  "Report  to  the  Society  of 
Missionary  Inquiry,"  bearing  the  date  of  March  i,  1845,  ^^^^ 
dealing  with  the  recent  China  treaty,  and  the  consequent  obli- 
gations to  missionary  effort  there,  on  the  part  of  American 
Christians,  and  also  with  recent  circumstances  in  India,  and  the 
probabilities  of  the  more  favorable  progress  of  the  cause  there. 
There  is  a  trenchant  and  able  review  of  "Bush  on  the  Resurrec- 
tion," bearing  date  of  June,  1845,  which  was  prepared  as  a  class 
exercise.  There  is  also  a  bright  paper  on  "Transcendentalism," 
dated  July,  1845,  i"  which  the  young  Seminarian  lets  flow  his 
vein  for  ridicule  and  light  sarcasm.  In  August,  1845,  ^^^  P^^" 
pared  a  historical  essay  on  "What  Causes  Checked  the  Progress 
of  the  Reformation?"  It  was  a  thesis  "for  graduation,"  or 
certification  rather,  since  at  the  time  the  Seminary  bestowed  no 
degrees.  This  is  a  genuinely  philosophical  discussion  of  the 
subject,  and  does  great  credit  to  a  man  of  his  years,  indicating 
the  keenest  insight  into  the  conditions  of  the  time.  His  mind 
was  so  much  alive  that  he  did  fully  all  the  work  that  was 
assigned  him,  and  then  went  out  in  search  of  more.  He 
actually  prepared,  during  his  first  year  in  the  Seminary,  a 
"Series  of  Articles  on  the  Second  Commandment  and  Popish 
Idolatry,"  which  he  published  in  the  JVafchnian  and  Ob- 
server. 

During  his  Seminary  life,  Mr.  Dabney's  health  was  not  good. 
He  inherited  an  unfaithful  liver,  and  the  dysentery,  with  which 
he  had  suffered  at  the  University  of  Virginia,  predisposed  him 
to  bilious  colic,  in  which  he  suffered  the  severest  pain  from 
cramps.  He  had  one  very  severe  spell  in  February,  1846.  He 
was  afflicted,  also,  with  weak  eyes  in  the  spring  of  1846,  and 
throughout  the  following  year.  He  was  at  first  afraid  he  was 
going  to  lose  his  eyesight,  and  received  some  letters  of  sym- 


90  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxev. 

pathy,  with  that  apprehension  in  view  ;  but  he  ^s^ot  a  physician's 
advice,  used  them  only  for  brief  intervals  at  a  time,  allayed  their 
inflammation  by  frequently  bathing  them  in  hot  water,  and  so 
gained  a  measure  of  relief  and  slow  improvement. 

His  physical  troubles  caused  him  to  take  much  bodily  exer- 
cise. The  forms  of  exercise  show  that  he  was  ready  at  any  time 
to  vindicate  the  dignity  of  labor.  He  was  remarkable  in  later 
days  on  "The  Hill"  for  holding  forth  the  duty  of  the  young  men 
to  find  some  useful  labor  at  which  they  might  exercise,  main- 
taining that  such  exercise  gave  the  most  perfect  rest  from 
ordinary  mental  toil ;  that  there  was  refreshment  coming  from 
the  very  consciousness  of  doing  something  useful,  something 
having  a  purpose.  He  entertained  this  theory  in  his  youth. 
Accordingly,  he  took  exercise  in  caring  for  his  room,  in  cutting 
his  wood,  in  working  a  large  watermelon  patch,  and  in  building 
a  summer-house  on  the  Seminary  campus,  and  by  trying  in 
other  ways  to  beautifv  the  campus.  It  may  be  a  surprise  to  men 
of  to-day  that  some  of  the  students  in  this  period,  being  sons  of 
slave-holders,  and  men  of  comfortable  means,  would  cut  their 
own  wood,  sweep  and  dust  their  own  rooms,  make  their  beds, 
and  take  the  whole  care  of  their  roonfs,  but  such  was  the  case. 
In  this  form  of  exercise,  Mr.  Dabney  was  simply  doing  as  his 
fellows  did ;  but  his  working  a  watermelon  patch  was,  we  may 
believe,  not  so  common  a  form  of  exercise.  In  this  work  he 
foimd  much  to  interest  him,  certainly.  He  had  attempted  the 
enterprise  while  a  college  boy.  He  begins  it  again  in  the  spring 
of  1845.     He  wrote  on  the  15th  of  March  of  that  year: 

"I  have  just  begun  to-day  to  work  on  my  watermelon  patch.  It  is  a 
tolerably  rich  piece  of  land,  but  rather  too  clayey,  and  rather  too  far 
from  the  house.  I  shall  expect  to  see  the  most  of  them  stolen,  but  it  is 
the  exercise  I  go  in  for  chiefly.  I  am  .digging  holes  to  manure  under 
the  hills.  I  shall  have  about  seventy-five  hills,  and  one  of  the  brethren 
talks  of  working  with  me;  but  we  have  no  help  from  the  plow,  and  it 
will  keep  us  pretty  busy  in  our  odd  moments." 

It  may  be  doubted  as  to  whether  he  made  a  great  success  with 
his  watermelons,  but  he  seems  to  have  gotten  varied  forms  of 
exercise  through  that  patch,  for  he  writes  to  his  brother,  Mr. 
William  Dabney,  on  the  2nd  of  August : 

"The  most  immediate  interest  I  have  in  the  drought  is  my  water- 
melon patch,  which  is  most  miserably  cut  short.  None  of  the  melons 
are  larger  than  a  baby's  head,  and  the  most  of  them  are  sick  ripe." 


Student  Ltfe  at  Union  Seminary.  91 

During-  the  winter  of   1845-46.  he  planned  exercise  in  the 
improvement  of  the  Seminary  campus  when  the  spring  should 


come. 


Of  this  he  wrote  his  mother,  on  December  4,  1845 


"Brother  Hogshead  and  I  talk  of  making  a  summer4iouse,  after  the 
wood-cuUing  season  is  past,  in  the  yard  of  the  Seminary.  They  have 
named  one-half  of  the  yard  North  Carolina,  and  the  other  half  Virginia. 
The  Virginia  side  was  the  highest ;  so  that,  in  levelling,  all  the  soil  was 
carried  off  it  and  put  on  the  Carolina  side.  Besides,  the  latter  has  a 
summer-house,  and  some  flowers,  while  old  Virginia  is  nothing  but  a 
barren  waste  of  dry,  stunted  weeds.  I  wish  to  make  a  summer-house 
there  also,  and  to  stimulate  the  ladies  to  do  something  for  its  improve- 
ment. This  shall  be  my  spring  work,  as  there  will  be  no  use  in  making 
a  watermelon  patch  next  summer." 

This  young-  man  who  was  doing  his  class  work  in  two-thirds 
the  usual  time,  and  leading  the  classes,  and  who  was  writing 
and  studying  much  on  outside  matters,  but  who  found  much 
exercise  necessary,  and  who  found  all  these  homely  forms  of 
exercise  interesting,  was  nevertheless  very  social  in  his  instincts. 
He  craved  society,  the  society  of  refined,  elegant  and  interesting 
people.  He  was'  the  son  of  a  home  of  refinement,  as  we  have 
seen,  in  spite  of  the  modest  circumstances  of  his  mother.  So- 
ciety was  a  sort  of  substitute  for  the  pleasure  of  home.  More- 
over, he  sought  the  good  society  to  be  had  about  and  on  the  Hill 
for  the  sake  of  improvement  in  manners.  He  felt  that  these 
were  verv  important  in  the  minister,  and  that  it  was  a  part  of 
his  preparation  to  acquire  agreeable  manners.  Accordingly,  he 
did  a  good  deal  of  social  visiting  in  the  families  on  the  Hill. 
He  also  found  that  he  was  the  better  for  an  occasional  walk  to 
a  gentleman's  house  at  a  distance  of  several  miles.  He  writes 
to  his  brother,  on  l-'ebruary  4,  1845  • 

'■My  life  here  is  just  the  reverse  of  the  one  you  describe  yourself  as 
leading.  Everything  is  as  regular  as  clock-work.  It  seems  to  suit  some 
of  them  to  admiration,  but  I  have  so  much  of  the  Price  blood  in  my 
veins  that  it  is  necessary  to  be  stirred  up  in  some  way  occasionally.  My 
usual  resources  are  a  long  ramble,  or  a  visit  to  the  country.  I  have  not 
many  places  to  visit  far  enough  off  to  make  a  pleasant  excursion,  but  I 
have  access  to  almost  every  family  in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  The 
people  are  plain,  but  well  informed.  There  are  few  counties  which  have 
so  respectable  a  population.  They  are  a  regular  and  stable  people  in 
their  politics,  and  in  all  their  doings.  ...  I  have  been  twice  to  the 
house  of  Mr.  Treadway,  a  retired  merchant  of  the  old  school." 


92  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

In  March,  1845,  l^^  went  on  a  brief  excursion  to  Charlotte 
county,  and  while  there,  to  visit  the  house  of  John  Randolph. 
After  describing  the  estate,  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  Francis, 
dated  the  i6th  of  March,  he  continues: 

"The  house,  or  rather  houses,  are  in  the  midst  of  the  woods,  some 
distance  from  the  low  grounds,  and  entirely  out  of  sight  of  all  the 
cultivated  land,  except  a  little  garden.  They  are  two  little  one-story 
houses,  with  two  rooms  on  a  floor  without  any  passage.  The  oldest  one, 
which  was  the  only  one  till  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  is  a  little  dark- 
looking,  low  affair.  .  .  .  The  posts  of  the  porch  were  oak  saplings, 
skinned,  and  put  into  the  ground  like  fence  posts.  The  new  house  is 
entirely  unconnected,  and  about  eight  yards  off.  It  was  quite  well  built, 
and  is  rather  higher  pitched,  and  more  comfortable.  There  was  a  good 
deal  of  very  fine  furniture,  but  old-fashioned,  and  a  great  many  very 
fine  books.  Some  of  our  party  estimated  them  at  two  thousand  volumes, 
almost  all  of  them  English  editions,  and  many  of  them  bound  in  calf- 
skin and  gilt.  There  were  nearly  all  sorts  of  books,  a  good  many  Latin 
and  Greek,  and  a  good  many  theological;  among  the  rest,  Scott's  Com- 
mentaries, and  Henry's.  There  were  two  defects  which  struck  me  very 
forcibly:  one  was  the  want  of  all  mathematical  works  (the  only  one  I 
saw  was  Newton's  Frincipia),  and  the  other,  the  meanness  of  his  law 
library.  Any  young  county-court  lawyer  would  have  a  better  one;  but 
it  is  possible  that  all  his  valuable  law  books  have  been  borrowed,  perhaps 
by  Judge  Tucker.  All  his  favorite  books  had  his  name  pasted  on  the.n, 
with  his  coat-of-arms,  and  his  motto,  'Fari  quae  sentiat.'  His  foible 
evidently  was  the  wish  to  regard  himself  as  a  nobleman.  His  chamber 
was  hung  around  with  coats-of-arms,  portraits  of  horses,  a  portrait  of 
himself  in  his  boyhood,  and  of  Juba,  and  of  his  lap-dog.  There  was  an 
old  arm-chair,  .  .  .  and  on  it  was  hanging  the  far-famed  white 
llannel  morning  gown,  in  which  he  fought  the  duel  with  Mr.  Clay.  The 
holes  of  Mr.  Clay's  bullet  are  there  still,  darned  up  roughly.  His  boots 
and  shoes  were  hanging  up  in  a  little  closet,  some  of  them  worn  and 
some  new.  You  have  heard,  I  suppose,  that  the  will  case  is  decided 
at  last,  and  the  negroes  are  set  free." 

On  one  of  these  excursions  he  accompanied  his  friend  and 
class-mate,  Mr.  \'aughan,  to  his  home  in  Farmville.  Mr.  Dab- 
nev  was  very  much  interested  in  the  inmates  of  this  home,  and 
much  entertained  l)y  them  ;  but  the  most  notable  thing  he  found 
in  Farmville  was  a  factory  full  of  negroes  singing  hymns.  He 
writes : 

"They  sing  with  very  great  effect,  and  fully  maintained  their  reputa- 
tion as  musical  geniuses.    Indeed,  some  of  the  finest  vocal  music  I  ever 


Student  Life  at  Union  Semixary.  93 

heard  was  in  this  factory.     They  carry  three  or  four  parts,  and  as  many 
of  the  pieces  they  sing  are  those  which  they  caught  from  the  church 
choirs,  I  could  perceive  that  the  accompaniments  were  greatly  varied. 
Indeed,  in  many  cases  they  seem  to  be  almost  entirely  of  their  own 
manufacture.    Their  favorite  accompaniment  seems  to  be  the  bass,  and 
a  sort  of  counter-sing  falsetto.     The  effect  of  the  latter  is  sometimes 
very  fine,  for  some  of  the  lads  have  falsetto  voices  as  clear  as  a  sky- 
lark's, which  run  through  the  mass  of  harmony  like  a  golden  thread 
through  a  dark  robe,  slender,  and  yet  distinct.    There  was  one  big,  burly 
fellow  in  a  corner  from  which  the  heaviest  bass  seemed  to  come,  and  I 
took  it  for  granted  that  he  was  their  chief  bass  singer;   but  when  I  went 
near  him,  I  found  that  he  was  singing  the  finest  falsetto.     This  passion 
for  music  might  be  made  the  means  of  conveying  a  great  deal  of  relig- 
ious truth,  if  the  masters  would  encourage  it  a  little,  and  give  it  a  right 
direction.    All  persons,  and  especially  the  illiterate,  learn  by  heart  words 
which  are  accompanied  by  good  melodies  much  more  readily  than  in 
any  other  way,  and  I  believe  it  would  be  very  easy  to  sing  a  company  of 
negroes  into  a  competent  system  of  Bible  truth.     The  General  Assembly 
of  our  church  once  entertained  the  intention  of  having  the  Authorized 
Version  of  the  Psalms  set  to  music,  so  that  each  psalm  might  be  stereo- 
typed, as  it  were,  to  its  own  melody,  and  thus  the  sense  and  the  music 
might  go  together  in  the  memory,  and  help  to  suggest  each  other.     The 
work  has  been  begun,  indeed,  by  the  great  masters  of  the  last  century, 
and  there  is  already  a  large  proportion  of  the  most  striking  psalms  set 
to  fine  anthems,  and  so  forth.     If  the  work  was  completed  from  the 
music  left  by  Handel,  Hayden  and  Mozart,  and  by  the  aid  of  living 
composers,   it   would  present  a  most  elegant  and  impressive  body  of 
divine  truth.     If  the  music  was  really  good,  and  of  a  strong,  popular 
style,  not  the  fine-drawn,  lack-a-daisical  melodies  fashionable  nowadays 
among  the  opera  composers,  and  if  the  work  was  introduced  into  com- 
mon and  regular  use  in  our  churches,  it  would  result  in  storing  the 
memories  of  the  people,  in  the  course  of  time,  with  the  larger  part  of 
the  psalms.    We  would  thus  have  an  invaluable  body  of  inspired  truth 
conveyed  in  the  most  permanent  form  to  the  mind,  without  labor  to  the 
learner,  and  connected  with  the  most  pleasant  associations.     I  hope  that 
when  a  taste  for  vocal  nmsic  becomes  more  common  in  our  churches  the 
work  will  be  done." 

There  were  other  excursions.  These  will  suffice  to  show 
that  he  went  with  open  eyes  and  ears,  and  a  mind  that  never 
ceased  its  activities.  For  him  to  make  an  excursion  was  to  see 
something  worth  seeing,  and  for  him  to  see  that  thing  was  to 
begin  to  think  of  it  in  many  of  its  important  relations,  bearings, 
and  suggestions.  After  the  above  disquisition  on  the  teaching 
power  in  melody  when  connected  with  truth,  and  the  duty  of 


94  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Li:\\is  Dabxey. 

the  church  to  set  the  psahiis  to  music,  he  gives  some  strong 
animadversions  against   instrumental  music. - 

He  was  as  much  of  a  correspon'lent  in  these  years  as  he  had 
been  in  previous  years.  He  added  to  the  range  of  his  topics. 
Seeing  the  farmers  along  Buffalo  attempting  irrigation,  he  finds 
in  that  enterprise  a  new  subject  on  which  to  write  to  his  home 
folks,  and  suggest  that  some  of  their  lands  can  be  easily  irri- 
gated. Xaturallv  church  matters  engage  more  and  more  atten- 
tion. He  studied  the  (lid  School  Assembly  of  1845,  especially 
the  positions  touching  Romish  baptism  and  slavery,  and  wrote 
of  it  with  penetration  and  vigor,  if  not  with  masterfulness." 
r>ut  he  never  needed  topics,  when  writing  home,  in  order  to 
satisfy  his  home  people.  What  they  wished  to  hear  about  was 
himself.  They  loved  him  devotedly.  His  mother  dreads  the 
close  of  his  student  days  at  the  Seminary,  lest  he  be  sent  far 
away  from  her.  She  exclaims:  "See  how  selfish  I  am.  I  think 
of  vou,  and  want  to  see  you  all  the  time."  *  Betty,  the  fair  and 
nuich-loved  sister,  writes:  "Whatever  the  church  may  think,  I 
am  very  sure  that  you  are  as  far  above  him  [a  brother  minister 
whom  the  young  lady  had  been  criticising  in  previous  letters, 
and  Robert  had  been  defending  to  the  verge  of  self-immolation] 
as  the  sun  is  above  the  earth."  ''  in  the  same  letter  she  tells 
him  that  she  hears  that  he  has  preached  at  least  one  sermon 
"that  could  not  be  surpassed."  The  whole  tone  of  her  letter 
shows  that  she  believes  everything  good  said  of  him. 

Mr.  Dabnev  appeared  before  West  Hanover  Presbytery,  at 
its  session  at  Pittsylvania  Courthouse,  Va.,  the  last  of  April,  or 
first  of  May,  1846.  He  came  armed  with  a  Latin  thesis  of 
eleven  closely  written  pages,  on  the  subject,  Ouomudo  homo 
jnstificatns  sit.  This  exercise  was  no  farce  with  him.  He  was 
not  the  kind  of  candidate  to  turn  a  part  of  liis  trial  for  licensure 
into  a  farce.  He  begins  liy  speaking  of  the  importance  of  the 
subject;  then  inquires  into  the  status  of  man  with  (iod,  and  the 
true  nature  of  justification.  Having  done  this,  he  disposes,  last 
of  all.  of  the  question,  "Oitomoilo,"  etc.  He  l^rought  with  him, 
also,  a  critical  exercise  on  Hebrews  vi.  4-6,  covering  thirty- 
eight  pages  of  sermon  paper — a   strong  and   useful   piece  of 


"  LeUer  to  Mr.  William   Dahncy.   l-\'l)ruary  5.    US46. 

*  Letters,  June  7,  1845,  p.  3,  and  June  12,  1845. 

*  Letter  to  Robert,  dated  February  6.   1846. 

■'■  Bettv  Dabncy's  letter  to  Robert,  of  April   10,   1846. 


Student  Life  at  Union  Seminary.  95 

work.  All  his  tests  seem  to  have  been  equally  satisfactory,  and 
on  the  4th  day  of  May,  1846,  the  Presbytery  licensed  him  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  Christ,  as  a  probationer,  for  the  holy 
ministry,  within  the  bounds  of  this  Presbytery,  or  wherever 
else  he  should  be  orderly  called,  William'  C.  Scott  being  Mod- 
erator, and  P.  J.  Sparrow,  Stated  Clerk. 

At  this  time  he  looked  so  thin  and  pale  that  the  Presbytery 
thought  his  life  would  probably  be  a  short  one,  and  that  he 
needed  the  care  of  interested  friends.  A  few  weeks  before,  the 
church  of  Providence  and  the  South  Anna  and  Green  Springs 
neighborhoods,  in  Louisa  county,  had  been  thrown  together, 
thus  constituting  a  missionary  field.  As  his  mother's  home  was 
in  this  field,  and  as  the  field  was  vacant,  the  Presbytery  assigned 
Mr.  Dabney  to  it. 

With  his  license  in  his  hands,  and  his  immediate  field  for 
active  work  assigned,  he  left  Pittsylvania  Courthouse,  went 
back  to  the  Seminary,  completed  the  session's  work,  and,  upon 
its  close,  received,  on  the  loth  of  June,  1846,  the  usual  certifi- 
cate granted  to  those  who  had  completed  the  entire  curriculum 
of  studies. 

Subsequent  events  were  to  prove  that  he  had  made  on  the 
Faculty,  upon  his  fellow-students,  and  upon  the  community 
about,  an  inijjression  as  of  a  man  who  could  show  himself  equal 
to  a  post  and  liurden  of  unusual  responsibility  ;  but  our  next 
chapter  will  carry  us  with  him  into  a  small  missionary  field, 
such  as  would  have  been  despised  as  too  mean  bv  some  of  his 
fellows  for  any  but  men  of  the  humblest  capacities.  He  does 
not  seem  to  have  had  any  question  as  to  whether  or  not  it  was 
good  enough  for  him. 


CHAPTER  VITI. 

A  MISSIONARY  IN  LOUISA  COUNTY. 
(June,  1846 — June,  1847.) 

Disinclination  to  Undertake  the  Work. — Wanted  by  the  People. — 
Pleasure  in  his  Work  and  Acceptance  with  his  People. — 
Varied  and  Extensive  Correspondence. — Continued  Ill-health. — 
Trip  to  the  White  Sulphur  and  to  the  Hot  Springs. — Invita- 
tions to  other  Fields. — The  Advice  of  Dr.  Meredith  and  the 
Invitation  to  Visit  Tinkling  Spring. — The  Call  and  Decision 
TO  Accept  it. 

MR.  DABNEY,  on  some  accounts,  was  naturally  drawn  to 
the  Louisa  field.  He  would  be  able,  while  working  in 
the  field,  to  make  his  home  with  his  widowed  mother,  who  had 
long  leaned  on  him  in  a  peculiar  way.  On  his  going  to  the 
Seminary,  his  mother  had  written : 

"I  knew  I  should  miss  you  very  much,  but  it  is  worse  than  I 
expected,  even.  Francis  is  as  kind  and  attentive  to  his  business  as  he 
can  be,  but  still  you  are  wanting  here  for  my  comfort;  but  I  know  that 
I  have  to  give  you  up,  and  I  will  not  complain,  but  live  in  the  hope 
of  seeing  you  in  four  months  from  this  dark  morning.  .  .  .  Your  room 
here  looks  like  there  had  been  a  death  in  it.  Indeed,  I  know  not  what 
we  shall  do  without  you."  ^ 

Of  warm,  generous  affections,  disposed  to  bear  the  burdens 
of  the  weak  all  about,  his  home  folks  naturally  leaned  on  him ; 
nor  did  time  efface  the  sense  of  their  loss.  When  the  Louisa 
field  was  offered,  he  knew  that  his  going  there  would  comport 
with  his  mother's  happiness  and  comfort.  The  destitutions  of 
the  field  also  appealed  to  him.  There  was  little  worthy  preach- 
ing at  the  time  in  the  county.  The  Baptists  and  Campbellites, 
then  holding  forth  there,  were,  for  the  most  part,  but  poorly 
furnished  to  teach  the  way  of  life.  There  seemed  to  be  an 
advantageous  opening  for  a  preacher  of  his  faith ;  so,  at  any 
rate,  thought  West  Hanover  Presbytery ;  but  there  were  other 
reasons  why  Mr.  Dabney  was  strongly  disinclined  to  take  the 

'  Letter,  dated  December  2,  1844. 


A  AIissioNARY  IN  Louisa  County.  97 

work.  The  chief  of  these  was  that  "No  prophet  is  accepted  in 
his  own  country."  This  was  the  people  among-  whom  he  had 
grown  up.  Many  of  them  were  related  to  him  by  ties  of  blood. 
His  connections  were  still  more  widely  ramified.  By  nature  he 
was  modest  and  shrinking.  He  distrusted  himself  as  equal  to 
the  task  of  doing  his  proper  work  as  preacher  and  pastor  in  this 
place. 

But  this  people,  amongst  whom  he  had  grown  up,  desired 
him,  and  some  of  them  very  much.  On  the  very  heels  of  the 
Presbyterial  Committee's  determination  to  construct  the  Louisa 
field,  the  session  of  Providence  Church  had  held  an  informal 
meeting,  and  desired  the  Rev.  William.  S.  White  to  call  Mr. 
Dabnev's  attention  to  that  field,  and  ask  him  "to  visit  them" 
as  soon  as  his  licensure  should  be  over,  "with  a  view  to  settling 
among  them."  It  was,  in  part,  in  recognition  of  this  known 
desire  that  the  Presbytery  assigned  him  to  the  field  as  a  mis- 
sionary licentiate.  That  the  congregation  of  Providence  would 
have  given  him  an  early  call  to  the  pastorate,  had  he  been 
disposed  to  cut  short  the  period  of  his  licentiateship,  there  can 
be  little  doubt.  This  fact  is  made  clear,  as  well  as  the  general 
esteem  in  which  Mr.  Dabney  was  held,  by  such  proofs  as  the 
following  letter  from  Mr.  Launcelot  Minor,  an  elder  in  the 
Providence  Church : 

"Louisa,  May  29,  '46. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Friend  :  I  take  this  mode  of  saying  something 
more  to  you  in  regard  to  your  accepting  the  invitation  to  preach  in. 
our  Providence  field,  which  will  be  very  certainly  extended  to  you, 
lest  I  should  not  have  an  opportunity  of  saying  it  verbally. 

"Your  only  objection  seems  to  be  the  fear  that  you  will  not  be  able 
to  do  good,  on  account  of  your  being  "in  your  own  country,"  and,  on 
the  first  view  of  the  subject,  it  would  seem  to  be  well-nigh  an  insuper- 
able objection.  I  mean,  it  would  appear  thus  to  a  stranger  to  all  the 
circumstances.  As  I  said  to  you  the  other  day,  you  would  begin  your 
ministry,  I  am  convinced,  under  much  more  favorable  auspices  than 
usual.  As  the  son  of  a  man  to  whom  the  people  of  Louisa,  and  all, 
indeed,  who  knew  him,  delighted  to  do  honor,  you  will  stand  on  higher 
ground  than  any  stranger  could;  your  being  but  little  known  personally 
to  the  people  of  the  field,  but  most  favorably  known  as  a  young  man 
of  learning  and  sense,  would  give  you  much  stronger  claims  than 
others ;  and  your  being  known  as  one  who  was  sound  on  all  the  ques- 
tions which  seem  to  be  separating  the  various  sects  of  Christians,  would, 
in  my  esteem,  be  a  very  strong  lever  in  your  favor.  But  all,  all  these 
sink  into  perfect  insignificance  compared  with  the  acknowledgment  of 
7 


98  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

■our  utter  dependence  on  a  Higher  Power ;  to  do  his  work  acceptably 
to  himself,  or  indeed  with  any  success,  'tis  absolutely  necessary  that  we 
should  be  conformed  to  his  likeness.  We  must  be  lozvly  and  meek  in 
spirit;  we  must  be  kind  and  forgiving  and  courteous  to  all ;  finally, 
we  must  say  nothing  or  do  nothing  that  will  militate  against  our  gain- 
ing the  confidence  of  the  community,  or  which  will  lead  men  to  speak 
lightly  of  the  religion  of  our  Master  as  set  forth  in  us.  The  minister's 
is  truly  a  life  of  crosses ;  he  must  expect  to  be  crossed  every  hour  of 
his  existence.  He  must  expect  to  have  his  sermons  found  fault  with 
because  of  their  being  too  plain — and  because  they  are  not  plain  enough ; 
because  he  writes  them — and  because  he  does  not  write  them;  because 
he  reads  them — and  because  he  does  not  read  them ;  and  at  last,  after 
being  covered  with  abuses  of  this  kind,  he  will  find  himself  charged 
with  seeking  a  livelihood,  or  fortune,  under  the  guise  of  the  blessed 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  fiickle  and  vain  is  this  "stiff-necked  and 
gainsaying  people"  with  whom  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  has  to  do ; 
tut,  thanks  to  a  merciful  and  gracious  God,  there  is  in  this  world  some 
relief  to  this  dark  picture.  I  have  never  yet  seen  the  humble,  devoted 
Christian,  I  have  never  yet  seen  the  individual — private  or  public,  rich 
or  poor,  male  or  female — whose  life  was  devoted  to  deeds  such  as  are 
the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  but  in  the  end  assumed  such  an  influence  over 
those  he  had  to  do  with  as  most  effectually  checked  and  overawed  vice 
and  obtained  the  admiration  of  all.    .    .    . 

"With  the  advantages  you  possess  over  young  men  starting  in  the 
ministry  in  their  native  neighborhoods,  together  with  a  faithful  and 
entire  dependence  on  God,  I  cannot  myself  see  an  objection  to  your 
taking  the  field  with  the  utmost  confidence  of  being  successful.  Faith ! 
faith !  is,  I  think,  in  religion,  pretty  much  what  action  is  said  to  be  in 
an  orator — it  is  to  be  asked  for  first,  and  asked  for  last ;  with  it  we  can 
do  anything,  and  without  it  we  can  do  nothing.  The  next  thing  to  be 
sought  in  prayer  is,  I  think,  the  constant  presence  of  the  desire  to  do 
all  that  we  do  to  the  glory  of  God,  that  we  may  be  divested  of  self,  and 
he  actuated  only  by  supreme  love  to  him  and  desire  to  glorify  his 
■name;  to  count  all  things  but  dung,  so  that  the  excellency  of  the 
]<nowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  is  won.  ...  I  think  I  have  shown  satis- 
factorily that  in  regard  to  temporal  or  worldly  qualifications  you  are 
all  that  the  people  could  desire.  As  to  the  rest,  yourself  and  your 
God  only  can  answer.  I  hope,  my  dear  friend,  you  will  forgive  my 
having  spoken  thus  freely  to  you;  be  assured  the  whole  is  prompted 
by  the  ardent  desire  to  see  you  useful  in  the  service  of  God  and  his 
church.  May  he,  by  the  power  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  guide  and  direct  us, 
the  church,  in  the  choice  of  a  pastor!  and  may  he  direct  you  in  the 
decision  which  you  may  make!  and  may  it  all  redound  greatly  to  his 
glory.  I  do  most  sincerely  pray.     Believe  me, 

'"Yours  affectionately, 

"L.  Minor,  Jr." 


A  MissioxARY  IN  Louisa  Couxtv.  99 

The  issue  showed  that  the  people  of  Providence  Church  were 
not  mistaken  in  Mr.  Dabney.  He  was  happy  in  his  work.  At 
least,  he  was  as  happy  as  a  man  in  such  a  precarious  state  of 
health  could  well  be.  His  field  was  a  large  one ;  it  took  him 
about  a  month  to  get  around.  He  could  use  the  same  sermon 
several  times.  He  thus  had  ample  time  to  prepare  his  sermons, 
and  was  able  to  sustain  the  reputation,  with  which  he  came 
from  the  Seminary,  of  being  a  powerful  preacher.  He  loved  to 
preach  to  these  first  people  of  his.  When  Providence  made  it 
his  duty  to  be  elsewhere,  and  to  preach  to  strange  people,  he 
wrote,  "I  hunger  for  the  opportunity  of  preaching  to  my  own 
congregation."  -  Shortly  afterwards,  he  wrote,  "I  am  sick  for 
an  opportunity  to  preach  to  my  own  people."  ^-  His  preaching 
was  duly  appreciated  by  the  little  flocks  to  which  he  ministered. 
Moreover,  he  commended  himself  to  all  classes,  by  his  blood 
earnestness,  and  uncommon  honesty  of  word  and  behavior,  by 
his  unaffected  and  thorough-going  interest  in  the  well-being, 
both  temporal  and  spiritual,  of  his  parishioners,  and  by  his 
genuine  sympathy  for  all  the  weak  and  the  suffering.  His 
labors  were  so  acceptable  to  his  people  that  when  the  time  came 
for  him  to  go  to  another  field,  many  of  them  could  hardly  see 
that  he  ought  to  go.  At  that  time,  Mr.  Launcelot  Minor  voiced 
again  the  views  and  wishes  of  the  people  of  the  field,  in  a  long 
and  eloquent  letter  to  Mr.  Dabney,  toward  the  close  of  which 
he  says : 

"I  have  come  to  the  deliberate  and  sincere  conclusion  that,  taking 
all  the  circumstances  into  consideration,  there  is  not  a  man  of  my 
acquaintance  in  the  church  of  God  who,  with  a  tolerable  show  of  heaUh, 
could  do  so  much  toward  the  establishment  of  religion  as  you  in 
Louisa — such  an  assertion  to  be  qualified  with  the  sentence,  which  is 
always  understood  by  Christians,  when  this  labor  is  bestowed  with 
an  eye  single  to  the  glory  of  God.  What  I  mean  is  this,  that  as  the 
son  of  Col.  Charles  Dabney,  and  being  what  you  are  in  qualifications, 
with  an  humble  dependence  on  God  for  his  blessing,  no  other  man 
could  do  in  Louisa  what  you  could."  * 

He  affirms  his  competence  to  decide  this  question  quite  as 
well  as  the  Presbytery. 

While  winning  these  golden  opinions  as  a  preacher  and  min- 

^Letter  from  White  Sulphur,  dated  September  S,  1846. 
'Letter  from  the  Hot  Springs,  September  14,  1846. 
*  Letter  from  L.  Minor,  Jr.,  dated  May  4,  1847. 


loo        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

ister  in  Louisa,  Mr.  Dabney  was  as  devoted  to  correspondence 
as  ever.  He  was  in  steady  correspondence  with  William  T. 
Richardson,  Alexander  L.  Hog-shead,  Stephen  A.  Stanfield, 
William  Stoddert,  Clement  Read  \'aughan,  and  William  Henry 
Ruffner,  and  others,  in  addition  to  previous  correspondents. 
At  the  same  time,  he  indulged,  with  still  others,  in  corres- 
pondence of  a  more  fugitive  character.  There  were  two  or 
three  very  bright  men  in  this  number,  and  in  them  "Bob  Dab- 
ney," as  some  of  them  call  him,  must  have  found  peculiar 
delight.  Rufifner  went  to  Princeton  for  the  session  of  1846  to 
1847.  He  sketches  for  his  friend  Dabney  the  Princeton  pro- 
fessors, when  Princeton  was  in  her  very  zenith.  Here  is  the 
sketch  which  the  eager-minded  Louisa  missionary  got  one  day 
in  November,  1846,  out  of  the  post,  by  paying  five  cents  there- 
for: 

"Dr.  Alexander  is  just  what  he  appears  to  be  in  his  books,  a  man  of 
wonderful  sagacity  and  acquaintance  with  the  human  heart.  In  private, 
his  manners  are  not  as  affectionate  as  one  would  be  led  to  suppose;  but 
he  never  cuts  but  to  remove  an  excrescence.  His  powers  of  managing 
and  trimming  into  shape  all  sorts  of  characters,  such  as  come  here,  are 
remarkable.  His  lectures  would  be  considered  able  were  he  in  an  ordi- 
nary faculty. 

"Dr.  Miller  is  a  cheerful,  polished,  rather  formal  and  pompous  old 
gentleman  of  seventy-seven ;  very  affectionate  towards  the  students,  and 
a  man  of  great  learning  and  piety.  He  is  commonly  spoken  of  as 
'tedious'  and  'prolix,'  etc.,  in  his  lectures.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
such  a  manner  of  speech  about  Dr.  Miller  is  one  of  those  hereditary 
fashions  which  are  often  perpetuated  in  a  public  institution,  without 
anybody's,  or  but  few,  going  to  the  trouble  of  comparing  the  opinion 
with  the  fact.  Dr.  Miller  delivers  lectures  on  Church  History  supple- 
mentary to  Mosheim,  which  are  rich  with  most  valuable  and  interesting 
information  (me  judicc).  He  uses  circumlocution  always,  rather  than 
employ  cant,  or  inelegant  phrases,  but  that  is  a  trifle  compared  with  the 
facts  of  a  rare  and  improving  nature  which  his  words  convey. 

"Dr.  Hodge  is  the  theological  Polyphemus.  He  gives  us  a  lecture 
once  a  week  on  theology,  and  presents  a  subject  in  a  stronger  manner 
than  we  can  find  it  treated  in  any  text-book;  but  I  will  defer  particu- 
lars for  a  future  communication.  We  use  no  particular  text-book  on 
theology.  Dr.  Hodge  gives  us  about  twenty-four  questions  a  week,  on 
which  we  read  and  write.  Turretm  is  the  principal  book  used.  Hill 
stands  next  in  repute,  and  Dick  at  least  third  or  fourth.  Knapp  is  con- 
sidered valuable.     .    .     . 

"The  ablest  speaker  in  the  Faculty  is  Dr.  Addison  Alexander.  He 
keeps   an   audience    feeling   like   a   stream   of   galvanism    was    running 


A  Missionary  in  Louisa  County.  toi 

through  them.  He  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  men,  in  all  of  his  pro- 
ductions, I  have  ever  seen,  perhaps  the  most  so;  but  in  private  he  is  a 
real  character.  He  is  as  unsociable  as  a  comet,  and  looks  as  grim  as  a 
taurus.  We  have  a  tutor  named  Green,  who  is  a  smart  fellow.  Minutiae 
must  be  reserved  till  the  press  of  matter  is  ofif. 

"I  do  not  think  the  course  is  as  well  arranged  as  at  Union,  but  it  is 
more  extensive,  and  we  have  more  work  than  we  had  at  Union."  ' 

The  suggestions  in  this  description  of  the  Faculty,  which  was 
probably  provoked  by  questions  in  the  letter  to  which  this  was 
the  reply,  was  not  lost  on  this  young  man  in  Louisa,  who  was  to 
rival,  and,  in  some  respects,  excel  Hodge  as  a  teacher  of 
theology. 

The  brightest,  keenest,  most  fascinating  blade  amongst  these 
youthful  correspondents  was  that  of  young  "Clem"  Vaughan. 
Here  is  a  piece  of  a  letter  that  at  once  illustrates  the  raciness 
of  Vaughan  and  characterizes,  not  unhappily,  a  certain  feature 
of  some  of  the  early  letters  of  Mr.  Dabney : 

"Union  Seminary,  January  25,  1847. 
"Am[ce  Carissime:  This  day  one  month  ago  you  dated  an  epistle 
to  me,  and  as  I  have  worked  hard  all  day  to  have  a  chance  of  uninter- 
rupted chat  with  you  to-night,  I  don't  see  why  I  should  not  have  that 
pleasure.  Do  you?  I'll  commence  by  telling  you  that  it  is  my  intention 
at  least  to  talk  about  something  besides  topographical  matters.  Blast 
ye,  ye  beast !  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  something,  my  dear  old  crony 
Bob  Dabney,  instead  of  gabberin'  abune  bad  roads,  cross-country  routes, 
etc.?  Your  sheet  was  just  like  a  surveyor's  chart — minus  the  diagrams; 
graphic  and  accurate  in  description,  it  is  true;  but,  like  the  hungry 
sailor  who  was  turned,  by  the  guid  wife,  into  the  stable,  'the  ignorant 
beastie  went  off  widout  even  so  much  as  tastin'  a  strae !'  you  fed  a 
heart,  hungry  for  the  gossip  of  intimacy,  with  large  descriptions  of  the 
localities  of  Buckingham,  and  its  adjacents.  Now,  verilj^  I  could  bite 
ye,  if  there  wern't  just  a  little  about  yourself.  I  love  to  peep  into  such 
places,  to  see  a  family  knit  in  love,  meeting  together  after  long  separa- 
tion in  this  selfish  world,  on  the  cheery,  hearty  festival,  which  rough, 
good-humored  old  winter  always  gives  to  Virginians,  at  least,  to  make 
amends  for  pinchin'  their  noses  and  bitin'  their  toeses  with  his  savage 
cold.  Fraternal  and  filial  afifection  is  a  beautiful  thing.  Why  is  there 
so  little  of  it?  And,  in  fact,  my  heart  grows  soft  when  I  recollect  you 
thought  of  me  on  that  day.  I'm  almost  ready  to  forgive  you  for  writing 
me  a  (first-rate)  engineer's  report.  I  believe  I'll  do  it.  But  remember, 
I'm  shakin'  my  fistie  at  ye,  nevertheless." 

^  Letter  from  William  H.  Ruffner,  dated  November  13,  1846. 


102        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

On  he  runs,  telling  of  the  quips  and  quirks  of  the  Seminary 
life,  bubbling-  over  now  and  then  with  affection  for  "Old  Bob 
Dabney,"  whom  he  seems  to  have  loved  next  to  his  sweetheart, 
father  and  sister,  recounting  his  preparations  for  Presbytery, 
scintillating,  with  his  ambition  for  self  and  his  piety  in  a  wrestle. 
With  his  friend  Dabney  he  unbosoms  himself.  He  would 
remind,  at  that  age,  an  observing  horseman,  of  a  mettlesome, 
blooded  young  race-horse  hitched  to  a  cultivator.  Such  a  cor- 
respondent was  a  corrective  and  a  help  to  Mr.  Dabney. 

But  there  was  another  side  to  his  life  than  that  of  successful 
missionary  worker  in  old  Louisa,  and  helpful  and  delighted 
correspondent  with  many  young  men,  and  support  and  comfort 
to  his  mother ;  he  had  to  struggle  with  ill-health.  His  old 
enemy,  bilious  colic,  was  as  troublesome  as  ever.  With  the 
hope  of  cure  or  partial  relief,  he  went,  in  the  fall  of  1846,  to 
the  White  Sulphur,  and  then  to  the  Hot  Springs.  He  derived 
no  substantial  relief  by  his  stay  at  either  place.  He  enjoyed  the 
new  scenes,  however,  and  sent  back  some  letters  descriptive  of 
the  Valley,  through  which  he  passed,  and  portions  of  JMonroe 
county,  which  he  visited  while  at  the  White,  which  his  friend 
Vaughan  would  have  called  excellent  "engineer's  reports." 
Naturally  he  did  not  at  first  find  the  water  at  the  White  very 
palatable,  but  saw  more  to  interest  him  in  the  company  gathered 
there.  He  savs,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother,  dated  August  17, 
1846: 

"The  water  was  very  nauseous  to  me  at  first,  but  it  is  becoming  less 
so.  If  anybody  wants  to  get  a  tolerably  good  idea  of  its  smell  and 
taste,  let  him  wash  a  dirty  gun  and  drink  the  washings.  Still  the  water 
is  beautifully  clear,  and  the  spring  very  bold.  You  may  smell  the  sicken- 
ing, sulphurous  odor  a  hundred  yards.  It  had  a  somewhat  cathartic 
effect  on  me  at  first,  but  I  have  been  very  moderate  in  my  use  of  it, 
drinking  only  two  glasses  a  day  as  yet.  Some  people  guzzle  it  in  most 
ridiculous  quantities. 

"There  are  several  distinguished  men  here,  among  them,  Mr.  Cal- 
houn, Mr.  Rhett,  Col.  Hayne,  Mr.  McDuffie,  etc.  Mr.  Polk  is  expected. 
I  have  not  been  introduced  to  any  of  them,  because,  though  their  con- 
versation would  be  most  delightful  to  me,  I  abhor  anything  like  toady- 
ism towards  the  great.  They  say  Mr.  Calhoun  is  very  accessible,  and 
very  plain,  affectionate  and  domestic  in  his  habits.  He  is  very  ugly, 
and  looks  quite  old,  but  still  bears  the  appearance  of  greatness  about 
him.  Mr.  McDuffie  is  very  infirm,  and  does  not  go  out.  He  fought  a 
duel  many  years  ago,  and  his  antagonist's  ball  lodged  in  the  small  of  his 
back,  so  near  the  spinal  marrow  that  they  were  afraid  to  take  it  out. 
Ever  since  he  has  been  a  miserable  invalid. 


A  Missionary  in  Louisa  County.  103 

He  soon  found  agreeable  society,  as  his  later  letters  show. 
However,  his  sojourn  at  the  White^  and  his  similar  sojourn  at 
the  Hot,  both  failed  to  do  him  any  real  good.  He  suffered  an 
attack  of  his  old  malady  while  at  the  Hot,  and  returned  home 
in  late  September  in  very  low  spirits,  so  that  his  friends  were 
much  worried.    A^aughan,  hearing  how  matters  were,  wrote: 

"I  do  not  think  that  you  have  cause  for  despondency.  I'll  tell  you 
the  reason  I  think  so,  and  beg,  at  the  same  time,  that  you  will  not 
think  me  a  flatterer  when  I  say  I  cannot  believe  that  God  will  take 
from  his  vineyard  a  laborer  so  well  prepared  by  his  creative  hand 
and  his  providential  superintendence  of  your  education  before  the 
blood  of  a  single  cluster  of  grapes  has  stained  his  hand  at  the  wine- 
press. So  cheer  up.  Don't  let  a  relaxing  and  stupefying  foreboding 
settle  upon  your  mind;  but  if  you  feel  disposed  to  give  up,  call  to 
your  aid  the  resources  of  your  own  healthy  intellect,  and  if  evils  come, 
meet  them  with  a  cheerful  front,  and  measure  the  length  of  infliction 
by  the  strength  of  a  faithful  endurance.  You  may  read  with  a  smile 
this  homil}^  from  your  blue-devilishly  disposed  friend  and  pitcher;  but, 
I  tell  you,  avoid  depression  of  spirits  as  much  as  possible,  because  I 
know,  by  a  sad  experience,  how  bad  the  effects  are  upon  the  mind,  the 
body  and  the  heart.  It  starves  and  clogs  the  energies  of  all  these, 
prevents  close  and  accurate  thinking  by  dissipating  the  mind  in  wild 
and  dreary  reveries,  sours  the  temper,  makes  one  careless  of  health 
and  the  means  of  preserving  it,  and,  in  fine,  is  the  very  worst  state  of 
mind  in  its  practical  influence  on  a  man's  usefulness  of  anything  I 
know."  " 

Such  words  were  hardly  much  needed  by  a  man  whose  char- 
acter was  so  strong  as  ]\Ir.  Dabney's,  but  they  could  hardly  fail 
to  be  helpful. 

It  makes  little  difference  where  a  young  minister  goes  to 
work ;  if  he  has  learning,  talents,  and  character  fitting  for  a 
wider  sphere  of  usefulness,  and  is  not  bound  by  something  very 
peculiar  in  his  circumstances  and  accidents,  representatives  of 
the  wider  spheres  will  very  soon  have  their  eyes  on  him.  So 
Robert  L.  Dabney  found  it.  He  had  hardly  begun  his  labors  in 
Louisa  before  the  session  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Norfolk 
invited  him  to  become  stated  supply,  for  a  period  of  six  months, 
at  the  rate  of  six  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  alleging  their 
unanimous  view  that  he  would  probably  be  called  as  pastor  as  a 
result  of  this  term  of  service.     Six  months  later  the  church  in 

"  Letter  from  C.  R.  Vaughan,  dated  October  3,  1846. 


104        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

Danville  was  making  overtures  for  his  services ;  but  he  pre- 
ferred some  place  where  the  work  would  not  press  so  heavily, 
where  there  would  not  be  so  many  sermons  to  prepare,  and 
where  he  would  be  assured  of  opportunity  for  a  more  satisfying 
development.  He  preferred  old  Louisa.  Dr.  Dabney,  in  his 
old  days,  gave  the  following  account  of  his  removal  from 
Louisa : 

"Matthew  Henry  says,  'He  that  notes  providences  shall  have  provi- 
dences to  note.'  What  does  this  look  like?  Returning  from  preaching 
about  the  first  of  April,  1847,  I  met  in  the  road  Dr.  William  Meredith, 
my  mother's  physician,  then  out  of  practice.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
experience  and  sagacity.  He  said,  'You  look  badly.  I  hear  of  your 
colic.  What  do  you  take?  Calomel  and  opium,  I  suppose.  Now, 
Mr.  Dabney,  you  will  never  be  cured  by  taking  medicine.  Your  hope 
is  in  a  change  of  climate  and  water.  You  must  get  into  a  region  entirely 
free  from  malaria,  and  drink  limestone  water.  I  wish  you  could  have 
a  year  in  Staunton,  and  drink  out  of  the  well  at  Mrs.  Garber's  tavern. 
No  one  ever  had  a  chill,  /.  c,  a  native-born  chill,  in  Staunton.  This 
will  cure  you.' 

"I  said,  'No  doubt.  Doctor ;  but  my  living  and  work  is  here.  I 
know  of  no  opening  whatever  to  such  a  region.  I  might  as  well  expect 
to  marry  a  princess.' 

"Within  ten  days  I  got  a  serious  overture  from  Tinkling  Spring 
Church,  of  Augusta  county,  seven  miles  from  Staunton.  This  was 
chiefly  through  the  Rev.  David  Humphrys,  of  Augusta  county,  an 
intimate  Seminary  friend.  I  visited  the  church,  staying  a  fortniglit ; 
had  no  colic  symptoms  while  on  limestone  water.  I  accepted  a  call 
from  them,  and  went  there  July  i,  1847.  I  left  my  dear  mother  and 
sister,  and  my  nursling  churches,  with  deep  regret,  but  all  justified  me." 

Dr.  Dabney's  memory  must  have  played  him  false  in  regard 
to  the  date  of  his  talk  with  Dr.  Meredith.  It  was  probably  six 
weeks  or  two  months  earlier  in  the  year,  for  his  friend,  Rev. 
William  T.  Richardson,  then  at  Waynesboro,  had  written  him, 
on  the  1 2th  of  February,  asking  whether  he  was  movable,  and 
begging  to  be  permitted  to  press  his  name  as  a  suitable  man  for 
the  Tinkling  Spring  pastorate.^  On  the  12th  of  March  he 
writes  again,  telling  Mr.  Dabney  that  the  congregation  will 
certainly,  on  the  next  Sunday,  take  steps  to  invite  him  to  come 
and  preach  to  them,  with  a  view  to  a  call."  On  the  15th  of 
March,    1847,   Messrs.   John   McCue,   David   Gilkeson,   Jacob 

'  Letter  of  Rev.  Wm.  T.  Richardson,  dated  February  12.  1847. 
'  Letter  of  Rev.  Wm.  T.  Richardson,  dated  ALirch   12.   1847. 


A  ]\IissioNARY  IX  Louisa  County.  105 

\^an  Lear,  and  H.  G.  Guthrie  write  to  the  Rev.  Robert  L. 
Dabney : 

"The  old  church  and  congregation  of  Tinkling  Spring  have  in- 
structed us  to  invite  you  to  visit  them  at  an  early  day,  so  that  they 
can  have  an  opportunity  of  hearing  you  preach,  and  becoming 
acquainted  with  you,  and  you  with  them,  with  a  view  to  your  becoming 
the  future  pastor  of  this  church,  should  each  party  be  equally  well 
pleased." 

They  further  informed  him  that  the  session  of  the  church  had 
"appointed  a  communion  season  for  the  second  Sabbath  in 
.April,  next,"  and  expressed  the  desire  that  he  should  be  present 
on  that  occasion.  This  invitation  Mr.  Dabney  accepted.  On 
his  return  he  stopped  at  the  home  of  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Mildred 
Lewis,  with  whom  he  had  lived  during-  his  course  at  the  Univer- 
sity. From  that  point  he  wrote  to  his  mother,  on  the  17th  of 
April.  1847: 

"I  returned  to  Aunt  Mildred's  last  night  (Friday),  well  and  hearty. 
I  spent  a  week  in  Augusta,  and  preached  four  times,  and  visited  twelve 
or  fifteen  families  connected  with  the  church.  The  Tinkling  Spring 
Church  had  appointed  a  communion  for  Sunday.  A  Mr.  Love  preached 
in  the  morning  and  I  in  the  evening.  This  was  the  largest  congrega- 
tion I  ever  preached  to,  and  one  of  the  most  orderly — at  least  four 
hundred  people.  I  have  addressed  more  immortal  souls  this  week  than 
I  had  the  whole  of  last  winter  all  put  together. 

"The  result  of  my  visit,  I  believe,  will  be  a  very  flattering  and  prompt 
call  from  the  church.  What  to  do  with  it  I  am  as  much  at  a  loss  as 
ever.  The  prospect  of  immediate  usefulness  there  is  immeasurably 
greater  than  in  Louisa,  for  I  should  reach  as  many  minds  there  on 
every  Sunday  as  I  would  in  Louisa  in  a  whole  month,  with  all  my 
laborious  perigrinations  and  at  all  my  different  preaching  places,  and 
that  under  more  favorable  circumstances.  But  in  Louisa  the  destitution 
is  greater,  and  unless  some  one  is  contented  to  stay  there,  and  be 
satisfied  with  the  day  of  small  things,  the  destitution  must  continue." 

On  the  Sunday  following-,  this  church  gave  ^Ir.  Dabney  a 
practically  un.animous  call.  Of  this  call  he  received  notice  in 
the  following  letter,  which  deserves  a  place  in  these  memoirs  as 
descriptive  of  the  field  in  which  he  labored  for  about  six  years : 

"AuGUST.\  County,  April  19.  1847. 
"To  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney. 

"Dear  Sir  :  It  affords  us  great  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  you 
were  on  yesterday,  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  of  the  congregation 


io6        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

of  Tinkling  Spring,  elected  pastor  of  that  church,  only  two  dissenting. 
The  cause  of  their  disagreement,  being  wholly  political,  should 
never  be  permitted  to  enter  the  church  of  God.  A  call  was  prepared 
in  the  usual  form,  and  signed  by  a  large  committee  of  the  congregation, 
and  the  blank  filled  with  the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars.  This  will  be 
sent  to  you  by  mail  after  the  meeting  of  the  Lexington  Presbytery, 
or  carried  by  a  commissioner  to  be  appointed  for  that  purpose,  to  the 
meeting  of  the  West  Hanover  Presbytery.  We  do  sincerely  hope  that 
when  the  call  is  presented  to  your  Presbytery,  that  body  will  place 
it  in  your  hands,  and  will  throw  no  obstacle  in  the  way  to  your  accepting 
it.  provided  it  may  be  your  wish  to  do  so.  The  field  to  which  we  call 
you  is  a  very  interesting  one  in  very  many  respects,  and  holds  out 
many  strong  inducements  for  you  to  come  and  occupy  it,  viz.,  its 
geographical  position,  the  large  and  very  interesting  groups  of  young 
people  growing  up  in  the  midst,  most  of  whom  are  out  of  the  fold 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  a  large  and  floating  population  who  have  no 
identity  with  any  particular  church,  many  of  whom  we  think  may  be 
brought  within  the  fold  of  Christ,  and  that  we  have  been  without  a 
pastor  for  eighteen  months,  that  this  is  the  fourth  effort  we  have  made 
to  secure  one,  and  that  you  have  been  elected  with  almost  unprecedented 
unanimity.  Should  you  fail  or  refuse  to  accept  the  call,  owing  to  the 
opposition  stated,  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  more  intelligent  and  discreet 
members  of  this  church,  Mr.  Calhoun  uniting  with  them  in  that  opinion, 
that  it  would  be  attended  with  the  most  disastrous  results  to  the  peace 
and  amity  of  this  ancient  congregation.  .  .  .  That  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church  may  guide  you  to  a  correct  decision  of  the  all-important 
question  presented  for  your  consideration  is  the  sincere  prayer  of  your 
friends  and  well-wishers, 

"John  jMcCue, 
"David  Gilkerson'. 
"Jacob  Van  Lear, 
"H.  G.  Guthrie. 
"Rev.  R.  L.  Dahncy." 

The  call  from  Tinkling  Springs  was  reinforced  by  letters 
from  many  quarters.  Mr.  Richardson  argued,  urged  and  pled. 
He  predicted  disaster  to  this  important  church  in  case  Mr. 
Dabney  should  not  accept  the  call.  Rev.  ]>.  M.  Smith,  then 
pastor  at  Staunton,  united  his  voice  Avith  that  of  this  church, 
whose  members  "cover  fifty  square  miles  of  fine  land."  are  most 
substantial  in  character,  almost  entirely  devoted  to  the  Presby- 
terian faith,  so  far  as  they  have  ecclesiastical  predilections." 
He  tells  him  that  his  "specimens  of  preaching  have  given  uni- 
versal satisfaction,  and  produced  deep  impressions  on  the  minds 
of  some  young  people,  of  whom  there  are  fifty  or  sixty,  that 


A  Missionary  in  Louisa  County.  107 

have  knowledge  of  the  truth,  but  have  hesitated  to  avow  a  faith 
in  the  Lord  Jesus." 

Mr.  Dabney  was  perfectly  open  in  deahng  with  his  people 
in  Louisa  as  soon  as  he  began  to  contemplate  the  probability  of 
change  of  work,  and  won  their  hearts  still  further  by  this 
thorough  honesty.  He  was  much  perplexed,  but,  with  the  aid 
of  his  Presbytery,  decided  to  go  to  Augusta. 

Many  men  w^ould  have  decided  quickly  on  the  simple  question 
of  salary.  He  had  worked  all  the  year  in  Louisa,  travelling 
through  sunshine  and  storm,  and  had  received  only  the  pittance 
of  three  hundred  dollars ;  but  he  was  not  much  affected  by  this 
consideration,  for  he  lived  in  Louisa  in  his  mother's  home. 
Moreover,  he  was  not  moved  by  greed. 

In  our  next  chapter  we  shall  present  him  in  his  pastoral  care 
of  Tinkling  Spring. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  PASTORATE  OF  TINKLING  SPRING. 
(July,  1847— August,  1853.) 

The  Beginning. — Laborious  and  Successful  Pastorate. — A  Season 
OF  Despondency.  —  Revival.  —  An  Honest,  Faithful,  Able 
Pastor. — Home  with  Mr.  Hugh  Guthrie. — Marriage  to  Miss 
Margaret  Lavinia  Morrison. — Still  at  Mr.  Guthrie's. — "Sleepy 
Hollow^.'' — "Stone  Cottage." — "Bobby"  and  "Jimmy." — Domestic 
Trials  and  Joys. — Still  the  best  of  Brothers  and  Sons. — Abun- 
dant IN  other  Labors,  also. — Preaching  Tours. — School-Keep- 
ing. —  Correspondence.  —  Farming.  —  Study  on  Special  Lines.  — 
Able  Contributions  to  Papers  and  Periodicals. — Condition  of 
the  Seminary  at  the  Time. — Difficulty  in  Proper  Filling  of 
THE  Chairs. — An  Article  on  Duty  of  Prayer  for  Conversion  of 
OUR  Youth  and  Increase  of  Ministers. — His  Election  in  March, 
1852. — General  Commend.^tion  of  this  Act. — Receives  Title  of 
D.  D. — Goes  to  Hampden-Sidney. 

THE  beg^inning  at  Tinkling  Spring  was  not  without  its  salt 
of  suffering,  but  was,  nevertheless,  just  about  what  one 
might  naturally  have  expected.    He  wrote  of  it  to  his  mother: 

"The  first  Sunday  I  was  here  I  had  a  slight  attack  of  colic,  enough 
to  make  me  miss  preaching.  There  was  a  tremendous  congregation, 
and  all  agog  with  curiosity  to  see  my  debut.  I  think  it  was  very  for- 
tunate that  I  was  prevented  from  preaching,  for  it  is  next  to  impossible 
for  a  man  to  satisfy  expectations  on  such  an  occasion;  and  the  people 
were  not  met  in  a  temper  of  mind  which  promised  any  profit.  I  have 
been  well  since,  in  the  main,  although  very  closely  confined,  and  I 
think  there  are  appearances  of  a  favorable  change  in  my  system.  But 
I  am  not  sanguine,  as  I  have  never  been,  and  am  willing  to  wait  for  a 
radical  improvement. 

"Day  before  yesterday  I  went  into  Staunton  to  be  examined  on  my 
college  studies.  Yesterday  the  Presbytery  met  and  heard  my  sermon, 
and  nearly  all  the  rest  of  my  examinations.  There  is  no  doubt  of  my 
being  sustained,  and  they  expect  to  proceed  to  my  ordination  to-day. 
To-morrow  and  Sunday  we  expect  to  hold  a  communion  season,  Mr. 
Benjamin  Smith  assisting  us.  Before  you  receive  this  I  shall  be  a 
bishop,  if  nothing  happens."  ^ 


^  Letter  to  his  mother,  July  16,  1847. 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring,  109 

He  labored  in  this  field  as  preacher  and  pastor  for  six  years 
and  two  months.  He  threw  himself  with  energy  into  his  work, 
and  with  success.  Under  his  inspiration,  stimulus  and  super- 
vision the  congregation  built  the  present  excellent  and  com- 
modious house  of  worship.  This  consumed  much  time  and 
energy  in  the  year  1849.  Like  other  church  builders,  he 
found  the  enterprise  annoying.  He  savs,  in  a  letter  of  March 
8,  1849: 

"Of  all  annoying  and  pestilent  concerns  that  ever  a  man  undertook, 
to  please  a  whole  congregation  of  people  about  a  new  church,  more 
especially  when  that  congregation  is  composed  of  Scotch-Irish,  of  all 
people  in  the  world  the  most  inflexible  and  obstinate,  is  the  most  so. 
I  am  chairman  of  the  Building  Committee,  and  have  a  thousand  diffi- 
culties to  reconcile  and  clashing  views  to  conciliate." 

On  the  30th  of  July  he  wrote : 

"Our  church  building  is  progressing  tolerably  well.  We  have  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  most  excellent  kiln  of  bricks,  which  are  now  read3\ 
We  begin  to  lay,  probably  to-morrow,  and  the  mason  says  he  can  finish 
the  walls  in  four  weeks.  The  wood-work  is  well  forwarded,  and  we 
shall  have  the  shell  of  a  house,  at  least.  I  fear,  however,  that  by  the 
tiine  the  house  is  finished  there  will  be  no  congregation  to  worship  in  it. 
They  seem  to  be,  a  part  of  them,  possessed  with  the  desire  to  quarrel 
about  every  trifle  in  the  arrangement  of  the  matter.  I  have  been  fretted 
until  I  heartily  wished  the  old  trap  standing  still,  with  all  its  defects. 
Both  parties  in  these  altercations  are  to  blame,  some  for  meddlesome- 
ness, and  some  for  repelling  that  meddlesomeness  in  too  rash  a  manner. 
Meantime,  by  an  exertion  of  great  forbearance.  I  steer  clear  of  both, 
and  try  to  keep  the  peace  between  them,  but  in  vain.  The  Scotch-Irish 
are  the  most  inflexible  people  in  the  world  when  they  are  right,  and 
the  most  vexatiously  pig-headed  and  mulish  when  wrong,  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  .  .  .  But  while  such  foolish  contentiousness  is  extremely 
disgraceful  to  religion,  and  no  doubt  throws  the  devil  into  perfect 
convulsions  of  sardonic  glee,  it  is  consoling  to  see  that  the  persons 
really  active  in  the  evil-doing  are  few,  and  that  there  are  many  mod- 
erate, forbearing,  forgiving  Christians,  whose  pious  endurance  of  these 
annoyances  honors  the  gospel  as  much  as  the  conduct  of  others  dis- 
graces it.  When  I  think  of  some  of  the  pettifogging  quarrels  of  some 
persons,  I  feel  myself  getting  so  angry  that  I  feel  as  if  it  would  be  a 
great  luxury  to  tell  them  just  what  opinion  deserves  to  be  passed  on 
them.  But  I  hold  my  tongue,  and  that  is  a  great  assistance  in  keeping 
one's  temper.  The  quiet  ones  seem  to  hope  that  they  will  have  done 
quarreling  now,  but  I  am  not  so  sanguine." 


no        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

But  at  lencrth  the  building  was  done,  and  became  a  great 
source  of  pleasure  and  comfort  to  the  pastor  and  people.- 

He  had  at  once,  on  beginning  his  life  at  Tinkling  Spring, 
showed  great  diligence  in  pastoral  work,  being  persuaded,  as  he 
tells  his  correspondents,  that  the  pastor  ought  to  know  the 
spiritual  condition  of  each  member  of  his  flock.  He  was,  per- 
haps, better  fitted  to  edify  God's  saints  than  to  win  the  unre- 
pentant to  God.  He  was  preeminent,  even  in  these  early  days, 
for  instruction  in  the  teachings  of  Scripture.  He  broadened, 
and  deepened,  and  built  up  his  people  in  their  knowledge  and 
understanding  of  the  Scriptures.  In  order  to  this,  he  not  only 
generally  used  the  didactic  form  in  preaching,  but  conducted  a 
Bible-class  of  such  as  were  more  inclined  to  learn.  Amongst 
his  manuscripts  of  this  period  is  a  small  book,  entitled,  Bible 
Questions  on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  covering  the  first  sixteen 
chapters.  There  are  from  twenty-one  to  thirty-nine  questions 
on  each  chapter.  They  are  well  conceived,  and  suited  to  open 
up  this  tract  of  Scripture  to  an  earnest  class.  Most  of  the 
references  are  to  Scott's  Commentary. 

He  had  fruit,  indeed,  in  the  way  of  conversions,  but  the 
number  of  the  communicants  grew  slowly,  on  the  whole.  Some 
years  his  session  reported  no  members  as  received  either  by 
profession  or  by  letter. 

He  often  mourned  the  absence  of  spiritual  life  in  his  church. 
On  the  9th  of  January,  1849,  he  wrote  his  mother: 

"I  have  experienced  more  depression  of  spirits  the  last  few  weeks 
than  for  many  a  month  before.  A  part  of  it  is  caused,  I  reckon,  by- 
anxieties  about  my  wife,  although  there  is  no  peculiar  ground  of 
anxiety  that  I  know  of;  and  more  of  it  by  the  apparent  fruitlessness 
of  my  ministry.  My  charge  hangs  on  my  hands  like  a  growing  burden, 
heavier  and  heavier  continually.  They  listen  to  my  preaching  very 
attentively,  and  often  with  fixed  interest ;  but  it  always  feels  to  me  like 
the  interest  of  the  understanding  and  imagination  only,  and  not  of  the 
spiritual  affections.  My  preaching  seems  to  human  eyes  to  be  utterly 
without  effect;  bad  for  me,  and  bad  for  them." 

He  evidently  wrote  in  this  tone  of  despondency  to  his  friend 
and  mentor,  the  Rev.  William  S.  White,  of  Lexington.     In  a 

"He  had  not  allowed  his  people  to  relax  in  their  support  of  the 
evangelical  causes  while  building  the  new  church.  During  the  years 
1848  and  1849,  he  secured  by  subscriptions,  most  of  which  he  collected 
himself,  four  hundred  and  forty-nine  dollars  and  fifty  cents  for  Union 

Seminary,  at  Hampden-Sidney. 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  hi 

letter   to   Mr.    Dabney,    dated   January   26,    1849.    ^^-    White 
exhorts : 

"Remember  that  it  is  "neither  the  first  blow  nor  the  last  that  fells 
the  oak' ;  therefore,  strike  away,  and  the  tree  will  fall  and  the  forest 
be  cleared.  I  know  no  means  of  building  up  and  extending  the  borders 
of  Zion  but  the  truth  studied,  learned,  communicated,  and  then  followed 
by  prayer.  Preach  as  if  your  preaching  was  everything,  and  then  pray 
as  if  it  were  nothing.    If  I  could  not  rest  in  this  view,  I  should  despair." 

He  was  hungry  for  revival.  God  seems  to  have  let  the 
hunger  continue  unappeased  throughout  the  year  1849.  Early 
in  1850,  Mr.  Dabney  wrote  to  his  brother,  Rev.  C.  R.  Vaughan, 
whom  he  had  comforted,  and  was  to  comfort  and  to  counsel 
again,  expressing  his  longing  for  the  breath  of  the  Spirit  of  all 
grace  on  his  people ;  and  this  brilliant  young  pastor  of  twenty- 
three,  whose  church  had  recently  been  blessed  with  a  powerful 
work  of  grace,  replied  to  his  friend's  yearning  as  follows : 

"You  have  my  deepest  sympathy  in  your  yearning  for  a  revival. 
It  is  as  natural  for  a  minister  who  has  one  single  adequate  idea  of  his 
office  as  the  wish  for  bread  is  to  the  starving  stomach.  Indeed,  my 
dear  brother,  the  keenness  of  anxiety  that  breathes  from  your  letter 
is  one  symptom  that  your  desires  are  to  be  gratified,  if  I  may  reason 
from  the  parallel  of  my  own  case.  For  months  before  there  was  an 
expression  of  interest  in  my  church,  my  own  heart  was  bursting  with 
the  burden  of  my  people's  welfare;  and  to  gain  relief  I  was  obliged 
to  pray;  and  the  efifect  of  that  told  upon  my  preaching  with  wonderful 
effect.  All  you  need  do,  my  dear  friend,  is  to  pray  and  trust  and  preach 
straight  at  the  conscience.  As  for  the  'objurgatory  aspect'  of  your 
manner  (a  phrase  which  Robert  Hall  has  immortalized  in  his  review 
of  'Zeal  Without  Innovation').  I  reckon  you  take  yourself  to  task 
too  hard.  Preach  earnestly,  no  matter  if  your  manner  may  seem  harsh. 
The  manliness  of  your  mind  and  the  sincerity  of  your  heart  will  both 
keep  you  from  putting  on  feeling  which  you  do  not  possess.  Simply 
cultivate  a  single-eyed  earnestness,  and  you  may  let  the  other  go ;  and 
if  that  very  earnestness  be  the  cause  of  apparent  harshness,  let  it  go. 
I'll  assure  you  the  very  best  way  I  have  ever  tried  to  break  into  the 
conscience  is  to  strike  straight  at  it  with  a  deep,  consuming  feeling  that 
all  is  at  stake,  and  that  there  is  no  time  to  stop  to  calculate  the  degree 
of  offence  that  may  justly  be  taken  to  mere  manner. 

"I  also  sympathize  deeply  with  you  over  the  black  sheep  of  your 
flock.  I  have  some,  too;  none  notorious  for  immorality;  but  cold- 
hearted,  worldly,  selfish,  liquor-selling  fellows.  My  male  membership 
is  some  twelve  or  thirteen,  some  of  them  the  biggest  sorts  of  grains 
in  the  salt  of  the  earth,  some  moderate  religious,  and  others  Sabbatically 


112        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

religious  only.  It  will  give  you  pleasure  to  know  that  the  state  of 
feeling  in  my  church  is  still  encouraging.  A  new  case  of  awakening 
has  occurred  within  a  week,  apparently  without  a  cause,  in  a  quiet  way. 
I  am  now  trying  to  rouse  my  church  members  to  self-examination  and 
prayer  by  preaching  closely  to  their  consciences,  and  by  personal  appeals 
to  them  in  pastoral  visitation.  May  the  good  Lord  grant  us  both  a 
large  refreshing  from  his  presence,  for  Christ's  sake.  If  God  should 
ever  grant  you  a  large  revival,  don't  do  as  I  did,  and  preach  yourself 
to  the  dregs  as  I  did.  My  great  mistake  was  in  having  too  many  meet- 
ings, and  I  expect  the  cause  of  it  all  was  nothing  but  unbelief;  an 
unwillingness  to  let  Christ  do  his  own  work,  and  a  desire  to  do  too 
much  myself.  Brother  White  sent  me  word  not  to  do  the  thing  to  a 
crackling;  but  I  was  out  of  breath,  pretty  nearly,  before  the  wise  and 
friendly  warning  came." 

At  last  the  congregation  of  Tinkling  Spring  received  a 
gracious  season  of  refreshing.  Mr.  Dabney  gives  some  account 
of  this  in  a  letter  to  his  mother,  written  on  the  8th  of  June,  1850. 
He  must  philosophize  about  the  proper  conduct  of  revivals  in 
writing  to  his  vigorous-minded  old  mother,  and,  though  there 
are  certain  apparent  crudities  in  some  of  the  views  expressed, 
they  are  not  unworthy  of  the  man.     He  writes  as  follows : 

"I  have  been  so  busy  of  late  that  I  have  but  little  time  to  think  of 
anything,  much  less  to  write  letters.  I  have  not  had  any  more  preach- 
ing to  do  the  last  two  weeks  than  usual,  indeed,  rather  less.  Other 
ministers  have  been  with  me  at  times.  It  is  almost  vexatious  to  see 
the  mistaken  kindness  of  people  when  they  hear  that  you  have  some- 
what of  a  revival  in  your  church.  During  all  the  wearisome  months 
and  years  when  you  are  toiling  to  bring  the  people  up  to  the  proper 
state  of  spirituality  and  zeal,  and  preaching  indefatigably  to  drowsy  and 
careless  hearers,  dragging  the  vast  mass  of  inattention  along  by  a  self- 
destroying  effort  and  overstraining  of  your  energies,  brother  ministers 
seem  to  think  you  need  no  help.  But  when  they  hear  this  long  toil  has 
been  instrumental  in  bringing  round  the  harvest  season,  then  they  come 
flocking  in  uninvited,  or  on  the  least  pretext  of  an  invitation.  This  is 
just  the  time  I  don't  want  them.  Now  it  is  a  delightful  indulgence 
to  preach.  The  congregations  full,  the  listening  intent  and  solemn, 
one's  own  mind  roused  and  elevated,  and  the  people  catching  up  any 
portion  of  divine  truth,  as  if  it  were  most  powerful  eloquence  (pro- 
vided it  be  spoken  with  unction),  it  is  no  effort  to  preach  and  no 
trouble.  I  don't  want  help.  It  is  like  taking  the  bread  out  of  a  hungry 
man's  mouth,  just  when  he  had  been  toiling  a  whole  year  to  get  it 
ready.  Besides,  very  few  ministers,  coming  from  other  congregations 
in  a  cold  state,  are  up  to  the  mark  of  our  feeling.  They  come  here 
with   their   old,   time-yellowed  manuscripts   in  their  pockets,   and   give 


The  Pastorate  of  Tixkling  Spring.  113 

us  their  cnt-and-dried  orthodoxy  in  so  chilling  a  style  that  it  ruins  the 
whole  affair.  And,  then,  there  is  an  utter  want  of  unity  and  coherence 
in  the  effect  of  the  dift'erent  sermons  of  the  different  men.  One  sermon 
is  out  of  joint  with  the  next.  The  variety  awakens  mere  carnal  curiosity. 
(For  these  reasons  it  is  that  the  preaching  at  Presbyteries  is  so  utterly 
without  effect,  usually.)  There  is  another  reason  of  pastoral  policy 
which  should  prompt  the  pastor  to  do  most  of  the  preaching  for  him- 
self in  his  own  revival,  no  matter  who  is  there.  It  is  this :  when  a 
church  is  revived,  they  listen  with  so  much  more  interest  that  the  same 
sort  of  preaching  would  seem  to  them  just  ten  times  as  able  and  forcible 
as  it  would  at  other  times.  Now,  if  the  pastor  does  all  his  own  preach- 
ing in  times  of  coldness,  and  lets  his  brethren  do  it  for  him  in  times 
of  revival,  it  will  cause  his  people  to  draw  most  unfavorable  compari- 
sons between  him  and  his  brethren.     It  will  ruin  any  man." 

He  proceeds  to  cite  an  instance  of  a  clever  pastor  who  had 
ptn-sued  jtist  this  policy,  with  the  result  that  he  was  held  as  a 
most  sorry  preacher,  while  loved  as  a  pastor,  and  then  con- 
tinues : 

"If  Dr.  Plumer  were  here  now,  he  should  not  do  any  preaching  for 
me.  I  e.xpect  a  visit  of  a  few  days  from  an  acquaintance,  a  minister; 
and  although  I  should  be  delighted  to  see  him  at  any  other  time,  I  am  in 
fear  and  trembling  lest  he  should  come  to-day.  and  expect  to  preach 
to-morrow.  If  he  does  come  to-day,  I  am  determined  I  will  invent 
some  way  to  manage  and  get  around  the  clerical  etiquette.  I  mean  to 
preach  to-morrow  myself.  We  have  preaching  twice  on  Sabbath  and 
once  on  Wednesday  evening  of  each  week.  I  e.xpect  to  have  something 
of  a  protracted  meeting  before  harvest.  We  have  about  twenty-five 
or  thirty  under  concern,  and  out  of  them  a  goodly  number  hoping  that 
they  have  been  born  again.  I  think  if  I  could  get  the  church  aroused 
we  should  have  a  glorious  work.  But,  alas !  this  is  harder  even  than 
to  arouse  sinners.  More  than  half  of  them  are  fast  asleep.  They  all 
come  Sunday,  but  when  working  day  comes,  why  they  are  plowing 
corn,  and  the  revival  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  souls  of  the  anxious 
may  all  go,  for  them.  But  I  must  not  be  censorious;  to  their  own 
Master  they  stand  or  fall." 

On  the  29th  of  July  he  wrote  again  to  his  mother: 

"I  fear  the  interest  in  my  church  has  rather  declined.  We  have 
no  inquiry  meetings  now,  and  although  the  congregations  are  still  large 
and  solemn,  there  is  less  tenderness.  Some  few  who  had  and  avowed 
strong  convictions  have  cast  them  off,  and  now  appear  careless.  But 
one  thing  very  gratifying  to  me  was  that  almost  all  who  ever  attended 
inquiry  meetings  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  the  most  of  them 
a  highly  credible  profession.  You  know  a  person  cannot  help  having 
8 


J 14        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

h'\s  ideas  about  the  character  of  others ;  and  I  have  my  notions  as  to 
which  of  these  young  Christians  are  in  earnest,  and  are  truly  born 
again,  and  which  are  self-deceived.  In  every  case,  those  whose  pro- 
fessions I  consider  most  doubtful  are  the  ones  who  had  least  advantages 
of  pious  education.  Some  of  them  seem  to  be  taking  a  noble  stand  as 
Christians,  and,  I  hope,  will  maintain  it.  There  seem  to  be  no  cases 
of  pungent  conviction,  so  far  as  I  know,  similar  to  those  which  occurred 
in  the  spring;  but  there  are  quite  a  number  who  seem  to  be  serious  and 
concerned.  Some  of  these  I  have  visited  and  talked  to,  and  I  must 
see  the  rest.  Some  of  them  profess  a  saving  concern,  but  hesitate ; 
others  say  they  are  not  serious,  but  still  show  some  seriousness.  I  fear 
their  impressions  are  not  deep  enough  to  amount  to  much." 

During  this  year  his  session  received  thirty-three  members 
into  the  communion  of  the  church  on  the  profession  of  their 
faith.  This  was  almost,  and  perhaps  altogether,  as  many  as 
were  received  in  this  manner  during  the  whole  rest  of  his 
pastorate. 

This  part  of  his  work  must,  on  the  whole,  be  pronounced 
successful,  as  it  was  unquestionably  honest,  faithful  and  able. 
There  is  not  wanting  evidence  that  more  than  one  Virginian 
in  this  period  felt  about  Mr.  Dabney,  as  his  young  crony,  the 
young  pastor  at  Lynchburg,  wrote,  on  the  5th  of  March,  1853 : 

''You  do  not  know  how  much  I  value  you.  Dabney :  and  I  value 
you  mainly  because  I  think  you  are  the  most  honest — almost  the  only 
honest — and  the  least  selfish  man  I  know  in  the  ministry.     I  mean  the 

younger  ones.     I  preach  for  show.     So  does  ,  ,  and  most 

others,  if  they  would  be  as  bitterly  candid  as  I  am.  I  hate  myself  for 
it;  but  still  I  do  it ;  and  I  speak  what  I  believe  when  I  say  that  you  are 
the  only  young  minister  in  my  acquaintance  of  whom  I  do  not  feel  the 
suspicion." 

This  may  be  a  bit  too  hard  on  others,  including  IMr.  Vaughan 
Tiimself,  who  was  evidently  given  to  almost  morbid  introspec- 
tion, but  it  expresses  a  common  conviction  amongst  Mr.  Dab- 
ney's  friends  that  he  was  honest  to  the  back-bone.  His  work 
was  universally  regarded  as  very  able  also.  The  most  of  his 
Sunday  morning  sermons  were  not  only  planned  with  much 
profound  study,  but  were  laboriously  written  out  in  full.  Thor- 
oughness of  investigation  and  weight  of  conclusion  was  char- 
acteristic of  all  his  preaching.  His  sermons  were  so  full  of 
thought  that  they  seemed  packed.  If  this  was  a  fault,  it  was 
one  that  tended  to  make  stable  men  of  those  who  heard  him. 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  115 

When  Air.  Dabney  went  to  Tinkling  Spring,  he  was  Uke 
pastors  generally  who  go  to  charges  without  manses,  under  the 
necessity  of  seeking  some  abiding  place.  He  found  his  first 
home  with  Mr.  Hugh  Guthrie,  between  whom  and  himself  a 
friendship  was  commenced  that  lasted  as  long  as  life.  Mr. 
Guthrie  was  at  the  time  a  bachelor,  but  well-to-do,  and  kept  a 
comfortable  establishment.  Mr.  Dabney  seems  to  have  gravi- 
tated his  way  naturally.  He  writes  to  his  mother,  on  the  i6th 
of  July,  1847,  about  ten  days  after  his  arrival,  from  Mr.  Guth- 
rie's residence : 

"It  seems  that  it  was  the  expectation  and  design  of  the  congregation 
that  I  should  board  here,  as  well  as  his.  This,  indeed,  would  be  very 
far  from  deciding  the  matter,  for  I  am  not  much  in  the  habit  of  letting 
other  people  choose  for  me.  But  I  believe,  on  the  whole,  the  place 
suits  me  better  than  any  other  where  I  could  be  taken  in.  There  are 
one  or  two  that  would  perhaps  be  preferable,  but  there  are  obstacles 
to  my  going  there,  in  one  case  the  ill-health  of  the  mistress.  There  is 
a  Mr.  ,  who  has  a  large  and  good  house,  a  fine  wife,  and  every- 
thing suitable;  but  from  the  specimens  of  the  power  of  his  children's 
lungs,  which  I  heard  there  on  a  short  visit,  I  think  I  should  not  better 
the  matter  by  going  there.  He  has  been  married  six  or  eight  years, 
and  has  a  growing  crowd  of  little  children.  Here  the  table  is  generally 
good  and  the  house  comfortable.  I  can  be  more  unconstrained  and 
can  have  a  better  command  of  my  time ;  and  the  neighborhood  is  so 
thick  that  fifteen  minutes'  walk  will  bring  me  into  company  at  any 
time.  I  have  a  large  room,  with  four  windows,  on  the  second  floor, 
and  with  a  porch  in  front  of  it." 

Here  he  lived,  at  first  single  and  then  married,  till  the  end  of 
1849.  ^^  Isss  than  a  year  after  going  to  the  Valley,  Mr.  Dabney 
got  the  "wife  appointed  him  by  Providence."  The  story  of  his 
winning  her,  and  his  admiration  for  her,  is  here  given  in  his 
own  words,  for  the  most  part,  viz. : 

"The  Rev.  James  Morrison,  of  New  Providence,  Rockbridge  county, 
was  always  hospitable,  especially  to  ministers.  He  sent  me  an  invitation 
to  visit  him  on  my  way  to  the  Presbytery,  that  was  to  convene  in 
August,  '47,  at  Bethesda  Church,  seven  miles  off.  I  had  been  ordained 
the  end  of  July.  Accepting  this  invitation,  I  reached  Bellevue  (Mr. 
Morrison's)  the  day  before  Presbytery.  An  elderly  gentleman  met 
me  at  the  gate,  just  dismissing  another  guest.  He  was,  in  person  and 
manner,  remarkably  like  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee.  He  kindly  took  my  hand, 
saying.  This  is  our  young  brother,  Dabney,'  at  the  same  time  giving 
me  a  cordial  reception.  There  was  already  company  at  the  house,  on 
the  way   to   Presbytery.     Now,   my  associates   in   the   Seminary   from 


it6        Life  and  Letters  of  Rohert  Lewis  Dabxey, 

Rockbridge  and  Augusta,  had  often  spoken  of  Miss  Lavinia  Morrison, 
the  second  daughter,  whom  they  truly  regarded  as  the  most  charming 
hidy  in  that  region  for  piety  and  good  sense,  and  as  the  best  of  daugh- 
ters, but  somewhat  indifferent  to  marriage.  She  was  then  about  twenty- 
four  years  of  age.  When  approaching  Bellevue,  I,  like  any  unmarried 
young  man,  had  indulged  my  imagination  as  to  the  appearance  of  this 
young  lady  I  was  about  to  meet.  I  said  to  myself,  I  suppose  that  Miss 
Morrison  is  one  of  your  pattern  young  ladies,  of  Puritan  manufacture. 
So  I  shall  find  her  a  tall,  angular  person,  with  sandy  hair  and  blonde 
complexion,  sharp  Roman  nose  and  gold-rimmed  spectacles,  and  very 
primpy  manners,  talking  of  'missionary  heralds,  theology,'  etc. 

"At  dinner  she  did  not  appear,  nor  during  the  afternoon.  Towards 
sunset  I  was  sitting  with  Mr.  Morrison,  where  I  could  see  out  into  the 
front  hall.  A  young-looking  girl,  I  thought  about  eighteen,  crossed  the 
hall  and  tripped  up  the  stairway,  her  hair  and  eyes  brown,  her  cheeks 
rosy,  very  slender  in  figure.  She  was  dressed  in  a  blue  gingham,  and 
wore,  also,  a  housekeeping  apron.  I  said,  'This  is  not  Miss  Lavinia, 
but  some  young  cousin  or  niece,'  not  thinking  that  this  was  the  pattern 
young  lady  I  had  heard  of.  Well,  it  was.  Mrs.  Morrison  was  in  feeble 
health,  and  such  hospitable  people  as  they  were  had  to'  make  much 
preparation  for  Presbytery ;  for,  in  addition  to  the  entertainment  at 
home,  they  carried  a  huge  basket  of  food  each  day.  to  be  eaten  in  the 
grove  by  the  church.  So  Miss  Lavinia  had  been  working  that  day  in 
the  kitchen,  making  cakes,  pies,  bread,  etc.,  etc.  Her  father  had  told 
us,  at  dinner,  to  excuse  his  daughter,  as  she  was  helping  the  cook  to 
prepare  for  Presbytery.  The  next  day  I  was  her  escort,  both  of  us  on 
horseback,  and  during  the  meeting  I  had  several  rides  with  her  on 
horseback.  Miss  Lavinia  had  a  fine  horse,  and  she  was  a  very  fine 
rider,  and  could  manage  a  horse  perfectly.  I  thought  she  was  remark- 
ably graceful.  Mine  was  very  nearly  a  case  of  'love  at  first  sight,'  but 
I  have  never  thought  this  unreason  or  rashness,  as  I  had  heard  much 
of  her  character  from  her  admirers,  whom  I  knew  to  be  young  men 
of  good  sense  and  truth.  So  I  was  acquainted  with  her  essential  traits. 
It  only  remained  for  me  to  see  if  her  person  and  manners  would  suit 
my  notion.  I  soon  decided  this.  Then  began  the  first  and  last  love 
affair  of  my  life.    We  were  married  on  the  28th  of  March,  1848." 


Dr.  Dabney  addetl  to  tlii.s  account  of  his  courtship  and  mar- 
riage, the  whole  of  which  was  written  for  his  children.  "You, 
her  children,  need  not  he  told  what  she  was  as  a  wife  and 
mother,  how  faithful,  industriou.s,  true  and  devoted  she  lias 
been." 

Good  Mr.  (luthrie  took  Mr.  Dabney  and  his  l)ride  into  liis 
house  again,  and  there  they  boarded  until  late  in  1849.  Mean- 
while, something  had  stirred  ]\Jr.  Guthrie  himself  to  try  for  a 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  117 

wife  from  the  Lord,  an  enterprise  in  which  he,  too,  found  the 
blessing  sought. 

Mr.  Dabney's  love  of  farming,  and  various  other  practical 
considerations,  conspired  to  make  him  think  of  buying  a  little 
farm,  and  having  a  home  of  his  own.  On  March  8,  1849,  ^^^ 
wrote  to  his  brother  William : 

"I  have  been  looking  around  me  a  little  for  some  small  piece  of  land, 
but  unsuccessfully  heretofore.  One  man  offered  me  a  piece  of  poor 
gravelly  ridge,  the  poorest  arable  land  in  the  neighborhood,  with  no 
orchard  nor  any  improvement  whatever,  except  a  bleak,  clumsy  log 
house,  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  dollars  per  acre.  Another  offered  me 
twenty  acres  of  very  good  land,  with  a  reasonably  roomy  log  house 
and  other  conveniences,  for  seventy-five  dollars  per  acre.  So  they  go. 
They  all  take  it  for  granted  that  a  preacher  must  be  gullible  about  the 
affairs  of  'filthy  lucre,'  and  wish  to  make  off  of  him.  They  will  find 
themselves  a  little  mistaken.  I  am  not  at  all  uneasy  about  getting  a 
home,  having  a  very  pleasant  boarding-place  as  yet,  and  a  great  many 
other  kind  friends  who  would  stand  by  me ;  and  at  the  worst,  if  the 
difficulty  of  getting  a  suitable  home  to  board,  rent  or  buy  should  actu- 
ally come  to  a  crisis,  why  I  would  just  quit,  and  not  be  shut  out  of  all 
the  world,  either.  But  I  have  no  disposition  whatever  to  leave  the 
neighborhood ;  and  I  shall  continue  to  keep  one  eye  open  for  some 
suitable  location  when  it  can  be  got  on  good  terms." 

He  recognized,  what  many  about  him  did  not,  that  the  prices 
of  land  and  farm  products  were  temporarily  much  inflated  in 
the  Valley,  while  the  railroad  to  the  White  Sulphur  Springs 
was  being  made,  the  tunnels  bored,  and  so  forth.  An  unusual 
home  market,  to  last  only  for  a  while,  was  thus  created.  Some 
of  his  friends  advised  him  to  buy,  on  the  grounds  that  prices 
were  bound  to  advance.  He  held  the  contrary  view ;  still  he 
desired  to  purchase  a  small  farm  ;  he  wished  to  go  to  house- 
keeping. Hence  the  purchase  of  his  first  little  farm,  "Sleepy 
Hollow,"  described  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  William,  dated 
October  3,  1849,  ^  P^^^  o^  which  reads  as  follows: 

"I  have  feared  for  some  time  that  we,  or  rather  Bob  [his  little 
boy],  were  creating  some  discomfort  for  our  kind  host,  and  this  made 
me  nervous.  So  the  other  day  I  went  and  made  a  bargain  to  buy  a 
little  homestead,  on  the  main  road  between  Staunton  and  Waynesboro, 
quite  convenient  to  the  church,  etc.  It  is  a  poor  place,  but  the  only 
habitable  one  in  the  whole  congregation  in  which  I  could  hide  my  head 
at  all  at  the  present  time.  It  contains  about  one  acre  of  timber  and 
nine  acres  of  open  land.     The  land  is  of  excellent  quality,  with  a  well 


ii8        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

and  pretty  good  water  on  it,  with  a  pump,  a  little  cottage  of  four  small 
rooms,  one  brick  and  three  log,  where  one  can  keep  warm  and  dry 
enough,  but  ugly  and  ill-arranged ;  an  outhouse  in  bad  repair,  and  a 
small  stable,  enough  for  my  horse  and  a  cow  or  two.  For  this  I  have 
to  pay  nine  hundred  dollars,  half  cash,  and  half  a  year  hence.  Accord- 
ing to  the  way  little  places  sell  here,  this  is  about  one  hundred  dollars 
too  much.  Besides  my  pressing  anxieties  to  have  a  place  of  my  own 
to  hide  my  head  and  be  independent,  two  motives  influence  me  to  buy. 
One  is  that  if  I  should  leave  the  congregation  in  a  few  years,  the  total 
of  the  purchase-money  being  so  small,  the  risks  of  loss  in  the  sale  of 
the  property  are  very  small.  There  is  no  place  where  I  could  have  the 
essentials  of  a  home  with  so  small  an  aggregate  of  property ;  and,  there- 
fore, in  reselling  my  total  loss  must  be  small,  even  though  I  were  com- 
pelled to  sell  at  a  considerable  per  cent,  below  what  I  give.  The  other 
consideration  is,  that  what  with  the  prospect  of  railroads,  and  the 
inroads  of  the  Germans,  who  are  always  land-mad,  the  price  of  land  is 
run  up  entirely  too  high.  As  a  matter  of  money  investment,  no  man 
ought  to  buy  land  now  in  this  neighborhood.  The  prices  are  exorbitant, 
and  the  prospective  rise  very  great  for  a  fezv  years.  The  great  collec- 
tion of  laborers  and  beasts  of  burden  at  the  tunnel  and  on  the  Staunton 
section  of  the  railroad  will  create  an  unusual  demand  for  produce,  and 
sustain  this  absurd  speculative  rise  for  five  years.  Then  things  will  go 
flat  enough.  .  .  .  Therefore,  I  think  that  any  man  looking  for  a 
landed  investment  of  money  ought  to  buy  almost  anywhere  rather  than 
here.  .  .  .  On  the  other  hand,  I  cannot  live  without  a  home  five 
j'ears,  till  the  mania  is  cured.  So  my  policy  is  to  buy  the  least  land 
possible,  and  even  to  give  too  high  a  rate  for  a  very  little  piece,  of 
which  the  total  purchase  is  trifling,  rather  than  to  be  investing  largely 
in  land  under  such  adverse  circumstances.  These  ideas  have  caused 
me  to  think  this,  under  the  circumstances,  a  judicious  purchase.  I 
think  I  run  no  risk  of  a  loss  greater  than  a  hundred  dollars  in  resale 
at  any  time.  The  place  is  very  desirable  for  a  mechanic,  and  the  house 
is  such  as  would  satisfy  the  tastes  and  ideas  of  the  laboring  classes 
much  better  than  mine." 

The  business  sagacity  of  our  young  minister  was  vindicated 
by  the  issue,  for  when  the  day  for  resale  came,  he  did  better 
than  he  had  hoped.  He  was  no  mean  farmer,  and  "Sleepy 
Hollow"  took  on  a  look  ot  thrift.  The  repair  of  the  buildings 
gave  a  pleasant  as  well  as  profitable  sphere,  in  which  lie  took  at 
least  all  necessary  physical  exercise.  Here  they  "lived  com- 
fortably for  three  years,  his  salary  being  six  hundred  dollars."' 
They  kept  two  good  horses  and  two  cows.  He  hired  a  negro 
man  and  a  cook,  "lived  well,  and  was  as  happy  as  a  king,  and 
entertained  much  company." 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  119 

After  a  while  he  had  a  chance  to  sell  ''Sleepy  Hollow,"  and 
thinking  his  "wife  had  a  right  to  a  better  home,"  he  sold  it  for 
thirteen  hundred  dollars,  which  covered  his  outlay,  and  bought 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  lying  about  two  miles 
distant  from  ''Sleepy  Hollow/'  on  the  road  from  the  church  to 
South  River,  and  about  a  mile  from  the  church.  On  this  place, 
which  he  called  "Stony  Point,"  he  built  a  stone  cottage,  which 
he  regarded  as  a  "very  peculiar,  picturesque,  and  tasteful  house, 
and  within,  a  perfect  little  snuggery."  He  built  this  house,  in 
part,  of  the  stone  cut  out  of  the  living  rock  on  which  the  house 
was  founded.  By  finding  his  quarry  there,  he  made  room  for  a 
cellar  of  suitable  proportions.  With  his  own  shoulder  he  helped 
to  put  many,  perhaps  most,  of  the  stones  in  place,  and  formed 
stronger  local  attachments  for  the  place  than  for  Hampden- 
Sidney,  or  any  other  place  in  which  he  ever  lived.  In  his  old 
days  he  said,  "The  grey-stone  cottage  I  thought  a  gem.  Had  I 
lived  there,  it  would  have  been  a  beautiful  place."  His  neigh- 
bors were  very  kind  in  helping  to  get  his  new  house  habitable. 
He  wrote  to  his  mother,  on  the  30th  of  June,  1852 : 

''I  have  had  as  few  annoyances  and  difficulties  about  it  as  any 
one  could  expect,  and  the  neighbors  thereabouts  have  been  very  kind, 
especially  Mr.  Gilkerson.  He  just  comes  and  see  what  is  wanting,  and 
has  it  done  as  if  it  was  his  house.  They  have  hauled  all  my  sand  for 
me,  and  Mr.  Guthrie  has  given  me  the  lime  thus  far;  but  lime  is  a 
much  more  trifling  article  here  than  with  you — one  shilling  a  bushel.'' 

He  moved  into  this  house  the  first  of  January,  1853,  and  only 
lived  there  eight  months.  He  began  at  once  planting  fruit  trees 
and  making  a  garden.  He  had  set  out  and  cultivated  a  fine 
orchard  in  "Sleepy  Hollow." 

It  may  be  conveniently  remarked  here  that  he  retained  posses- 
sion of  this  estate  till  during  the  first  year  of  the  war,  when  he 
sold  it  for  four  thousand  dollars,  lent  the  money  to  the  Con- 
federacy, and  lost  it  all  without  regret,  as  it  went  to  the  service 
of  his  country,  though  he  had  saved  it,  for  the  most  part,  from 
his  earnings. 

During  these  early  years  of  their  married  life,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dabney  were  blessed  with  two  little  boys.  The  first,  "Bobby," 
had  been  called  tor  his  father,  Robert  Lewis.  He  had  put  in 
his  appearance  on  the  19th  day  of  February,  1849.  His  father 
described  him  as  a  Morrison  in  his  appearance,  with  white  skin 
and  brown  eves.    The  second,  "Timmv."  was  called,  for  his  ma- 


120        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

ternal  grandfather,  James  Morrison.  Following  closely  on  the 
heels  of  his  brother,  he  put  in  his  appearance  on  the  ist  day  of 
April,  1850.  These  were  bright  children,  and  very  precious  to 
their  big-hearted  father.  Though  we  shall,  in  the  next  chapter, 
see  him  and  the  mother  crushed  to  the  earth  over  their  little 
graves,  who  shall  say  they  had  no  important  mission  on  the 
earth  ?  They  were  God's  ministers,  to  soften  and  ennoble  and 
further  fit  the  father  for  his  great  work  in  the  world.  Ever 
after,  he  was  to  have  unutterable  sympathy  for  those  who  had 
lost  little  ones. 

In  these  homes,  with  his  loving  wife  and  his  bright  little  boys, 
he  had  the  usual  ups  and  downs  of  householders.  It  is  to  be 
questioned  whether  many  men  have  enjoyed  their  downs  so 
nmch.  On  the  31st  of  December.  1849.  ^i^  wrote  his  brother 
William : 

"For  your  amusement  and  Cordelia's,  I  will  give  you  some  account 
of  our  getting  along  in  the  interval  between  the  hegira  of  the  old  hira- 
Hngs  and  the  coming  of  the  new.  Wednesday  the  last  of  them  went, 
leaving  us  without  a  soul  to  do  anything,  indoors  or  out,  except  a  little 
girl  of  nine  years,  which  Mrs.  Morrison  gave  Lavinia.  Friday  the  new 
hirelings  came,  by  special  agreement.  Well,  we  had  a  carpenter  here, 
who  was  doing  some  very  urgent  repairs,  and  therefore  consented  to 
work  Christmas.  I  asked  Lavinia  what  was  to  be  done  for  the  cow. 
She  said  she  could  milk,  and,  indeed,  quite  prided  herself  on  it.  I 
thought  it  would  never  do  for  a  boarding,  school  miss'  fingers,  trained 
to  belabor  the  piano  and  handle  the  painting  pencil  and  embroidering 
needle,  to  grasp  a  cow's  teats.  But  the  more  I  opposed,  the  more  she 
insisted.  So.  when  I  went  to  feed  the  horse  and  cow.  she  sallied  to 
the  stable,  and,  after  a  few  graceful  tremors  and  starts,  succeeded 
in  milking  the  cow  very  effectually.  There  was  a  churning  of  cream 
that  she  thought  needed  attention,  so.  as  she  could, not  possibly  find 
time,  I  volunteered  to  churn.  So  I  beat  away  for  two  mortal  hours, 
and  then  she  tried  her  hands  for  an  hour  longer,  but  not  a  bit  of 
butter  would  come.  So  we  had  to  resign  that  as  a  bad  job.  Next 
morning  she  got  up  complaining  that  her  thumb  was  as  sore  as  if  it 
were  out  of  joint  (from  milking),  and  her  shoulders  so  stiff  (from 
churning)  that  she  could  not  lift  her  hands  to  her  head.  So  I  thought 
I  would  try  my  hand  at  milking.  I  did  very  well  by  persevering,  but 
found  it  rather  harder  work  than  grubbing.  The  old  lady  managed  to 
get  breakfast :  and  afterwards,  with  a  degree  of  hardihood  wdiich  dis- 
played more  adventure  than  prudence,  determined  to  set  afoot  a  rising 
of  lightbread  to  be  baked  at  evening  for  supper.  It  turned  out  as  you 
might  expect.  Very  soon,  however,  her  cooking  operations  were  sadly 
interrupted,  for  the  lifting  of  pots  and  oven  tops  gave  her  the  backache 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spkixc;.  121 

(inost  unromantic  ailment).  So  I  had  just  to  subinduce  my  Atlantean 
shoulders  to  the  burden.  Behold  the  Rev.  R.  L.  D.,  then,  for  the  rest 
of  the  time,  presiding  in  the  kitchen  as  first  vice  (under  the  direction 
of  the  madam,  who  maintained,  in  the  main,  the  same  dignified  absti- 
nence from  the  practical  toils  which  great  generals  commonly  exercise 
at  a  pitched  battle),  lifting  ovens,  washing  out  skillets  with  a  dish- 
clout,  baking  bread  and  potatoes,  and  frying  pork.  You  may  guess  that 
when  the  hired  woman  came  Friday,  just  after  dinner  was  served  (my 
last  exploit  and  my  chef  d'ociii'^^rc).  she  was  hailed  with  great  pleasure, 
and  I  abdicated  in  her  favor  with  more  promptitude  than  Napoleon 
after  Waterloo,  or  any  other  of  those  celebrated  chaps  who  had  got 
hold  of  a  bag  that  grew  rather  too  heavy  for  him  to  hold.  The  Scrip- 
ture says,  'It  is  good  for  a  man  to  bear  the  yoke  in  his  youth.'  This 
is  the  youth  of  my  housekeeping,  and  I  certainly  have  borne  the  yoke. 
Civilization  makes  a  vast  amount  of  work.  What  a  saving  it  would  be 
to  live  in  a  hut,  eat  out  of  one's  fingers,  and  save  all  this  tremendotis 
routine  of  cooking  and  cleaning  up.  How  much  easier  it  would  be, 
if  all  that  was  necessary  to  wind  up  the  dinner  arrangements,  after  the 
meal  was  dispatched,  were  just  to  lick  your  fingers,  and  wipe  your  knife 
on  your  breeches  and  pocket  it,  instead  of  having  dishes,  cups,  saucers, 
knives  and  forks,  pots  and  kettles,  to  clean  after  every  meal." 

There  is  ample  evidence  that  he  met  the  demands  of  his 
position  as  the  head  of  a  household,  whether  of  the  nature  of 
emergencies  or  of  a  more  ordinary  sort,  with  ready  sagacity  and 
resourcefulness.  Strong  common  sense  was  a  chief,  if  not  his 
preeminent  characteristic.  This  is  constantly  illustrated  in  the 
homeliest  manner,  as  when  he  writes  to  his  mother,  on  the  8th 
of  October.  1849: 

"I  will  tell  you  what  I  want  you  to  have  done  for  me.  against  I 
come  by  from  Synod.  Have  a  bag  of  yeast  cakes  ready.  Have  me  a 
good  garden  hoe  made;  for  here  they  do  not  make  broad  hoes;  they 
buy  a  set  of  little  worthless  things,  made  out  of  sheet  iron,  from  the 
stores.  And  also  a  bread-tray,  if  there  are  any  of  your  colored  acquaint- 
ances that  deal  in  those  articles.  I  can  carry  it  up  under  the  seat  of 
my  buggy.  If  you  can  get  these  things,  I  would  thank  you  to  have 
them  ready  against  I  return  from  Synod.  Also.  I  wish  Frank  to  chaffer 
with  Sam  Mason,  or  any  other  good  and  cheap  smith  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, about  making  and  ironing  for  me  a  set  of  one-horse  zcagon 
wheels,  good  and  strong.  The  prices  of  smith's  work  here  are  exorbi- 
tant. I  find  a  good  one-horse  wagon,  ready  for  use.  will  cost  me  here 
not  less  than  seventy  dollars.  This  I  can't  stand.  I  think  it  probable 
the  rates  of  work  are  so  much  cheaper  down  there  that  I  can  buy  the 
four  wheels  and  have  them  hauled  up  cheaper  than  I  can  get  them 
here.    Then  I  will  make  the  axles,  shafts  and  bodies  myself." 


122        Life  and  Letters  of  Rop.ert  Lewis  DAnxEY. 

Life  came  near  being  all  a  thing  of  choice  with  him.  He 
drifted  nowhere.  On  the  thousand  small  things  of  life  he 
thought,  thought  through  them,  and  did  consciously  what  he 
did,  in  preference  to  many  other  courses  contemplated  as  possi- 
bilities. jNIore  courses  lay  open  to  him  than  to  most  men,  be- 
cause of  his  multitudinous  capacities.  In  the  matter  of  the 
one-horse  wagon,  he  was  competent  to  a  course  which  would 
have  been  open  to  few  gentlemen.  He  had  such  skill  in  wood- 
working that  he  could  not  only  make  nearly  every  part  of  that 
woodwork  with  accuracy,  but  could  do  the  fine  work  of  a 
trained  joiner.  He  had  made  a  good  deal  of  the  furniture  that 
went  into  his  house  at  "Sleepy  Hollow." 

It  is  said  that  most  sons,  once  they  marry  and  have  families 
and  homes  of  their  own,  cease  to  be  the  interested  and  helpful 
sons  and  brothers  they  were  before  marriage.  Robert  L.  Dab- 
ney  was  an  exception  in  this  respect.  On  the  20th  of  February, 
1849,  he  writes  to  his  brother  William: 

"I  have  been  wishing  to  give  mamma  some  help  this  year,  in  squar- 
ing up  her  little  matters.  I  have  not  drawn  any  of  the  mill-rent  for 
the  year  1848,'  and  wish  one  hundred  dollars  to  be  applied  to  the  pay- 
ment of  her  accounts,  so  as  to  help  her  in  bringing  up  the  arrearages. 
I  would  be  glad  that  you  would  attend  to  the  matter,  and  see  this 
much  of  the  money  applied  in  this  way." 

This  is  but  one  instance  in  his  daily  thought  for  his  mother, 
and  it  wants  somewhat  of  being  a  characteristic  instance.  He 
had  not  only  the  disposition  to  aid  his  mother  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  but  he  supervised  in  a  friendly  way  her  affairs,  giving 
suggestions  about  every  sort  of  interest,  year  in  and  year  out, 
from  his  perch  in  the  Valley.  The  health  of  his  sister  Betty 
declined  in  the  year  1849.  He  construed,  in  his  own  way,  the 
mildly  expressed  fears  in  the  letters  from  Louisa.  He  coun- 
selled energetic  measures  to  counteract  what  he  looked  on  as 
tendencies  to  scrofula.  He  had  her  come  to  the  A^alley  that 
summer,  and  carried  her  himself  to  the  Rockbridge  Alum,  and 
thus  did  much  to  stay  the  progress  of  the  malady ;  but  the  best 
testimony  to  his  unchanged  devotion  to  his  family  is  found  in 
their  feelings  on  the  subject.  Even  his  sister  Betty,  his  former 
pet,  declared  that  Robert  was  one  son  and  brother  whose  active 

^  At  this  time  Mr.  Dabney  owned  a  one-fourth  interest  in  what  had 
been  his  father's  mill  farm. 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  123 

and    practical    interest    in    their    concerns    marriage    had    not 
changed  in  the  least. 

This  filial  and  fraternal  devotion  was  paid  for  in  appropriate 
coin.  A  sister  writes  to  him:  "Never  did  a  son  have  a  more 
devoted  mother  than  you.  I  believe  she  thinks  of  you  con- 
stantly." Her  own  admiration  for  her  brother  was  hardly  less 
than  that  felt  by  the  strong-minded  old  mother.  They  all  ad- 
mired him  for  his  talents,  cultivation  and  character,  and  they  all 
leaned  on  him  in  every  crisis  in  their  individual  lives  as  a  safe 
support,  and  they  all  loved  him  for  what  he  was  to  them  and 
did  for  them. 

His  labors  thus  far  recounted,  and  the  family  interests  to 
which  he  gave  attention,  would  have  filled  the  mind  and  heart 
of  any  ordinary  man,  and  pressed  him  sorely;  but  this  man 
abounded  in  this  period  in  many  other  forms  of  labor.  Several 
summers  he  partly  spent  in  preaching  tours,  usually  in  accord 
with  the  appointment  of  his  Presbytery,  going  once  or  twice 
as  far  as  Pocahontas  county,  now  in  the  State  of  West  Vir- 
ginia. 

In  1852,  Mr.  Dabney  added  to  his  other  forms  of  labor  that 
of  school-keeping.  The  Tinkling  Spring  people,  though  a  rich 
agricultural  community,  had  neglected  to  have  a  classical  school. 
On  the  ground  of  this  want,  Mr.  Dabney  explained  the  fact  that 
they  had  reared  no  ministers.  He  proposed  that  they  should 
no  longer  be  without  such  an  institution.  In  September,  1852, 
he  began  the  conduct  of  a  classical  school  in  the  session-room. 
He  got  his  people  to  put  up  a  nice  school  building  at  Barter 
Brook,  very  soon  had  twenty-six  or  seven  scholars,  and  made 
the  school  yield  him  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  as  an  addi- 
tion to  his  income.  He  had  scholars  that  year  who  became  a 
credit  to  him.  Amongst  them  was  Mr.  Walter  Blair,  for  a  long 
time  a  distinguished  and  honored  member  of  the  Faculty  of 
Hampden-Sidney  College.  Many  stories,  more  or  less  charac- 
teristic of  the  man  and  his  methods  of  discipline,  have  been  told. 
He  was  always  energetic.  It  is  said  that  in  this  school  he  some- 
times broke  slates  over  the  heads  of  naughty  pupils,  and  left 
the  frames  around  their  necks  as  ornaments,  that  he  found  it 
convenient  to  pitch  books,  keys,  sticks  of  wood,  and  other 
bric-a-brac,  at  the  heads  of  the  lazy  and  disorderly.  Many  of 
these  stories  are  probably  apocryphal,  but  they  may  be  taken  to 
indicate  somewhat  as  to  the  energy  of  his  methods.  It  is  per- 
fectly certain  that  he  meant  to  be  master  in  that  body,  no  matter 


124        Life  and  Letters  of  Rodekt  Lewis  Dacnev. 

what  the  cost,  for  in  a  letter  to  his  sister  Betty,  of  March  4, 
1853,  he  tells  her  that  the  mother  of  one  of  his  pupils  had 
written  to  her  son  not  to  submit  to  being  whipped.    He  says : 

"On  hearing  this,  I  told  him  that  we  must  settle  the  question  of 
supremacy  at  once ;  and  while  I  was  gone  to  get  some  switches,  he 
might  make  up  his  mind  either  'to  cut  dirt'  or  take  a  thrashing  again. 
He  elected  the  former.  His  parents  foolishly  backed  him  up  in  his 
insubordination,  and  so  I  told  them  he  would  have  to  staj'  expelled.  " 

On  one  occasion  there  was  something  approaching  mutiny  in 
the  school.  Air.  Dabney  had  given  one  of  the  young  men  a 
flogging  which  some  thought  too  severe.  There  was  talk  of 
combining  against  him  and  flogging  him.  He  suspected  some- 
thing of  the  kind.  His  face  became  more  grim  and  determined 
than  usual.  At  recess  he  strode  to  the  woods  near  by,  cut  an 
extra  handful  of  stout  switches,  and  also  a  stout  hickory  cane, 
with  which  he  could  have  felled  an  ox.  When  he  returned,  the 
boys  looked  at  his  instruments  of  education.  They  subsided. 
Nor  did  they  ever  forget  the  look  of  his  face.  That  the  teaching 
added  to  his  reputation  shows  that  it  was  able ;  but  his  many 
kinds  of  enterprise  pressed  heavily  on  his  strength  and  health ; 
accordingly,  he  engaged  Mr.  J.  N.  Craig,  afterwards  the  Rev. 
Dr.  J.  N.  Craig,  long  Secretary  of  Home  Missions,  as  his 
assistant.'*  He  took  the  school  when  Mr.  Dabney  was  called 
to  be  professor  in  Union  Theological  Seminary.  It  was  for  a 
long  time  kept  up  at  least  intermittently,  under  the  blessing  of 
God,  and  sent  not  a  few  young  men  into  the  ministry. 

Mr.  Dabney's  correspondence  in  this  period  grew  heavier, 
and  took  a  wider  range  of  discussion.  Religion,  politics,  law, 
literature,  farming,  school-teaching,  family  life,  local  history, 
etc.,  etc..  gave  him  occasion  and   furnished  niaterials  for  his 

self-expression  in  epistolary  effort. 

____^ t 

■*  Dr.  Craig  was  a  spiritual  son  of  Dr.  Dabney.  The  Rev.  William 
Price  writes :  "About  1848,  J.  N.  Craig,  then  at  the  Fishburne  School, 
at  Waynesboro,  wrote  me  at  Marlin's  Bottom,  now  Marlinton,  Poca- 
hontas county,  W.  Va.,  to  let  me  know  that  he  had  given  his  heart  to 
Christ  and  united  with  the  church,  as  a  result  of  continued  religious 
services  conducted  by  the  pastor,  W.  T.  Richardson,  assisted  by  Rev. 
R.  L.  Dabney,  pastor  of  the  neighboring  Tinkling  Spring  Church.  He 
referred  to  one  of  Mr.  Dabney's  sermons  as  the  impulsive  agency  that 
led  to  his  taking  the  stand  he  had.  as  an  open  professor  of  the  faith 
in  Christ  as  his  Lord  and  only  hope." 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  125 

The  following  letter  to  the  Rev.  Moses  D.  Hoge  may  be 
presented  as  a  fair  sample  of  many  in  this  period,  dealing  with 
subjects  at  once  important  and  delicate: 

"January  28,  1852. 

"Dear  Brother  Hoge:  I  had  heard  iiearlj'  the  proposal  of  your  letter 
from  a  highly  respectable  source  at  Synod,  and  am  glad  to  find  that  it 
is  exciting  attention.  I  concur  fully  with  the  reasonings  you  present 
on  the  main  point,  and  in  most  of  the  details.  There  is  nothing  more 
repugnant  to  my  judgment  and  my  feelings  than  the  proposal  to  force 

Dr. to   ft    resignation    by    any    scrt    of    expedient.      I    consider 

it  not  only  unkind,  but  unjust  to  him;  and  it  would  be  disastrous  to  the 
Seminary.  I  was  much  struck  by  a  remark  made  by  Dr.  McGuffey 
last  summer,  in  talking  of  this  very  case :  that  he  had  never  known  a 
literary  institution,  from  which  an  old  locum  tcnens  of  tolerable 
respectability  had  been  ousted  by  any  such  means,  that  was  not  seri- 
ously injured  by  it.  And  you  may  depend  upon  it  that  all  such  plans 
and  changes  will  only  realize  for  the  Seminary  the  fable  of  the  fox 
and  the  flies.  One  swarm  of  cavillers  will  be  quieted  only  at  the  expense 
of  raising   an  opposite  swarn.     For  instance.   Bocock,   and  many  such 

geniuses,   are   resolved   not  to  give  any  hearty  support   till   Dr.  

is  supplanted.    Now,  his  man  to  succeed  him  is  Brother ,  a  person 

whose   peculiarities   of   style   would    raise    far   more   opposition   among 

many  of  the  plain  seniors  than  even  Dr.  's  supposed  old-fogyism 

raised  among  the  ecclesiastical  chivalry.  This  shows  how  wrong  and 
unjust  it  is  to  suspend  our  support  of  the  Seminary  on  having  all  the 
men  of  our  choice  there.  But  there  will  always  be  such  people;  and, 
my  dear  brother,  we  must  only  go  on  sustaining  the  Seminary  magnani- 
mously and  disinterestedly,  whether  everything  suits  our  personal 
preferences  or  not. 

"I  foresee  very  great  difficulty  in  any  man's  now  accepting  the  vacant 
professorship  who  is  fit  for  it.  So  much  has  been  said,  and  said  by 
directors  and  electors,  about  the  necessity  of  a  man  of  transcendent 
abilities  and  reputation,  to  work  some  miracle  for  the  raising  of  the 
languishing  institution,  that  it  seems  to  me  any  man  who  should  now 
accept  must  either  be  very  conceited  or  very  destitute  of  proper  respect — 
unless  elected  unanimously.  Who  can  now  command  a  unanimous 
vote?  But  if  an  Adjunct  Professor  of  Theology  were  elected  at  the 
same  time,  and  if  he  were  a  man  in  whom  the  Professor-elect  of  Church 
History  had  confidence,  it  would  greatly  smooth  the  way.  The  idea  is 
decidedly  a  good  one.  As  to  the  talk  about  the  folly  of  electing  a 
fourth  man  to  teach  twelve  students,  this  weighs  nothing  with  me.  We 
are  not  working  for  the  present  only.  We  have  not  so  little  hope  and 
faith ;  our  aspirations  for  our  Zion  are  not  so  low  and  mean  as  to  be 
willing  that  things  shall  always  remain  as  they  are.  We  build  for  the 
future.    We  should  act  as  though  we  really  expected  a  blessing  on  our 


126        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

prayers  and  labors,  and  expected  the  church  to  grow.  The  farmer 
builds  a  barn  when  he  has  not  a  sheaf  of  ripe  wheat.  Who  charges 
him  with  folly?  Nor  would  the  expense  of  the  support  of  the  new 
professor  be  an  obstacle,  if  the  church  chose  to  put  forth  her  strength. 
There  is  money  enough  if  the  church  chooses  to  give  it. 

"The  difficulties  which  weigh  with  me  are  these :  Might  not  the  elec- 
tion of  this  adjunct  professor  be  interpreted  by  Dr.  into  a  wish 

for  his  resignation?  and  thus  lead  to  his  immediate  departure.  That 
the  adjunct  professor  should  take  any  share  in  the  agency  for  the  col- 
lection of  his  own  salary  strikes  me  very  unpleasantly.  I  think  no  man 
would  consent  to  it  who  had  much  delicacy.  His  salajy  must  be  some- 
what precarious,  resting  on  such  a  basis  as  the  annual  subscriptions 
of  the  churches ;  and  the  man  who  should  take  this  chair  must  make 

up  his  mind  to  a  good  many  sacrifices  and  uncertainties  until  Dr.  

retired.  Again,  I  do  not  know  where  to  look  for  the  men.  I  have  great 
repugnance  to  truckling  longer  to  the  suicidal  notion  that  foreign  things 
must  be  best,  by  going  abroad  for  professors.  While  I  am  ready  to 
sustain  heartily  any  respectable  man  whom  my  brethren  may  select,  I 
should  have  great  difficulty  in  pointing  out  a  man  to  my  own  satisfaction 
for  either  chair.  But  there  is  no  more  difficulty  in  finding  two  than 
one. 

"The  ordering  of  this  step  must  come,  I  suppose,  from  the  Board 
of  Directors ;  and  I,  being  an  elector,  can  have  no  other  agency  in  it 
than  as  a  well-wisher.  If  it  can  be  heartily  done,  I  shall  rejoice  to  see 
it  done.  I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  suggesting  your  ideas  to  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Brown,  Smith  and  White,  and  advocating  them  as  well  as  I  can. 

"I  have  been  wading,  for  the  last  week  or  two,  through  all  the 
annoyances  of  a  removal  into  an  unfinished  house.  And  this  week  there 
are  superadded  the  afinoyances  of  Christmas.  Most  of  my  servants  are 
hirelings;  they  are  now  free.  I  have  just  finished  replacing  my  books 
on  the  shelves  to-night.  After  filling  the  day  with  multitudinous  offices, 
among  the  rest,  paving  a  path  with  broken  stone,  I  cut  wood  for  the 
family,  fed  the  hogs  (one  of  which  showed  fight,  not  liking  a  white 
skin),  and  stooped  about  over  my  books,  till  my  brain  was  nearly 
addled.  I  doubt  not  you  will  see  manifest  evidences  of  this  in  my 
letter.  I  can  most  heartily  wish  you  a  Merry  Christmas;  but  if  you 
enjoy  it,  you  are  better  off  than  I. 

"Sincerely  your  brother,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

Another  of  Mr.  Dabney's  avocations  was  that  of  farmer. 
This  has  been  inipHed  in  the  accounts  g'iven  of  his  homes ;  but 
he  had  so  much  interest  in  ail  the  operations  of  farming",  and  did 
his  own  farming  so  well  that  it  deserves,  at  least,  distinct  recog- 
nition in  his  life  at  Tinkling  Spring.  He  compared  the 
methods  of  farminsf  in  the  \'allev  with  those  east  of  the  Blue 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  "127 

Ridge.  Some  of  the  habits  of  the  Valley  farmer  he  regarded 
as  slovenly  and  wasteful ;  others  he  prized  highly.  He  noticed 
the  relative  economy  in  labor  in  the  V^alley.  Thus  he  wrote  to 
his  brother  William  in  October,  185 1 : 

"Here  manure  is  never  scraped  or  dug  up  in  the  barnyard  or  wood- 
pile, nor  is  any  dung  fork  strained  nor  strength  expended  in  tearing 
it  out  of  a  tough  mass.  The  manure  heap  is  plowed  with  a  common 
two-horse  plow,  and  after  the  fork  has  done  its  work,  a  scraper  is  used 
to  gather  the  balance.  It  is  just  as  uniform  a  thing  to  see  the  prints 
of  the  plow  at  the  stable  or  wood-pile,  in  the  fall,  as  to  see  those  of  the 
harrow-teeth  in  the  wheat  field." 

He  also  found  time  for  special  study  along  chosen  lines. 
Thus,  in  1850,  he  must  have  made  a  very  careful  and  thorough 
study  of  that  immortal  work,  Butler's  Analogy,  for  amongst  his 
papers,  in  his  own  neat  and  very  characteristic  hand-writing, 
is  an  excellent  syllabus  of  the  whole  work,  and  bearing  the  date 
1850  immediately  after  the  title.  In  the  course  of  these  years 
he  bought  many  valuable  books.  The  lists  of  his  purchases 
from  Robert  Carter  &  Brothers,  New  York,  amongst  his 
papers,  show  that  he  was  buying  the  best  books,  the  masters  in 
theology,  philosophy,  and  sacred  history,  and  along  with  them 
certain  lighter  works,  in  the  sphere  of  biography,  popular  his- 
tory, and  pastoral  theology. 

In  the  course  of  these  years  he  made  able  contributions  to 
newspapers  and  periodicals.  In  1848  he  published  two  sermons 
in  the  Watchman  and  Observer.  One  of  these  was  on  the 
"Relation  of  Popery  to  Republicanism.  In  1849  he  published, 
in  the  same  paper,  an  article  against  the  use  of  "Organs,"  and 
two  articles  on  "Dangerous  Reading."  In  1850  he  published 
one  or  more  papers  on  the  deportment  appropriate  to  one  when 
approaching  and  while  attending  the  house  of  God,  and  one  on 
"The  Most  Fashionable  Church."  His  object  in  the  paper 
against  the  use  of  organs  in  worship  was  to  "vindicate  the 
great  body  of  the  Protestant  Church  of  his  day  from  the  charge 
•of  bad  taste,  rudeness,  and  blind  prejudice  in  their  opposition" 
to  instrumental  music, — an  object  which  he  accomplished 
easily,  displaying,  incidentally,  a  remarkable  theoretical  know- 
ledge of  music  also.  His  object  in  the  paper  on  "The  Most 
Fashionable  Church"  is  to  expose  the  meanness  of  those  who 
would  determine  the  church  they  are  to  join  by  the  considera- 
tion of  the  social  standing  of  those  who  are  already  its  members. 


128        Life  and  Letters  of  Rohert  Lewis  Dahney. 

It  is  a  proof  that  he  knew  how  to  use  sarcasm  and  ridicule, 
along  with  strong  arguments,  in  a  good  cause. 

In  1850,  the  young  pastor,  thirty  years  old,  and  with  only 
four  years  of  ministerial  experience,  writes  for  Lexington 
Presbytery  a  pastoral  letter  to  the  sessions  of  their  churches. 
The  letter  is  strong  and  dignified  in  tone,  and  impresses  and 
argues  well  the  duty  of  holding  services  in  their  own  churches 
every  Simday,  whether  there  be  a  minister  to  officiate  or  not. 
The  letter  was  published  in  the  JVatcJDiiau  and  Observer. 

In  December,  1850,  and  January,  1851,  he  published  a  series 
of  four  articles  in  the  Watchman  and  Observer,  on  the  proposed 
innovations  in  the  Board  of  Education.  He  opposed  these  inno- 
vations, and  particularly  that  the  church  should  assist  in  the 
college  education  of  persons  who  are  not  destined  to  be  minis- 
ters at  all,  as  it  now  assists  the  education  of  candidates  for  the 
ministry,  and  that  it  should  extend  aid  even  to  those  who  are 
not  professors  of  religion  at  all. 

In  185 1  he  reviewed,  in  the  columns  of  the  same  paper,  the 
Assembly  of  that  year,  of  which  he  had  been  a  member.  He 
had  a  series  of  five  articles  of  considerable  length.  He  again 
paid  his  very  particular  respects  to  the  Board  of  Education.  At 
this  time  he  held  fimily  to  the  view  that  the  church,  as  such, 
should  have  nothing  to  do  with  secular  education  directly.  The 
church  may,  and  should,  by  its  teaching  of  Scripture  truth,  and 
the  use  of  appropriate  discipline,  arouse  its  members  to  do  their 
duty  as  individuals  in  the  way  of  giving  an  education. 

In  the  spring  of  185 1  he  published  a  series  of  articles  on  the 
slavery  question  in  the  Richmond  Enquirer.  These  articles 
received  wide  and  favorable  notice.  The  whole  line  of  the 
fight  between  the  sections  was  closely  scrutinized  by  Mr.  Dab- 
ney,  who  "read  the  newspapers  very  little,"  but  seemed  to  be 
aware  of,  and  to  have  formed  his  judgment  on,  all  the  more 
important  political  movements.  He  felt  that  the  ethical  charac- 
ter of  the  relation  of  slavery  ought  to  be  vindicated  before  the 
great  public.  He  had  written  to  his  brother,  on  the  15th  of 
January,  in  this  year,  1851,  on  the  proper  attitude  for  the  South 
to  maintain  against  the  North.  In  the  course  of  these  sugges- 
tions, he  writes : 

"Another  thing  which  should  be  clone  is  this,  to  push  the  discussion 
on  the  fundamental  etliical  (juestion  of  the  justifiahleness  of  slavery. 
This  question  of  moral  right  is  at  the  I)ottom  of  the  whole  matter. 
It  is  the  ~i»)  (7710  from  which  the  whole  matter  is  set  in  motion.     For 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  129 

those  who  do  not  really  act  from  principle,  make  a  pretext  of  the  moral 
principle.  If  we  possess  ourselves  of  this  -ou  ffzd)  we  shall  undermine 
the  whole  cause  of  our  adversaries.  The  justice  of  the  Wilmot  proviso 
is  founded  in  the  justice  of  the  anti-slavery  theory.  The  fact  that 
slavery  is  wrong  is,  ultimately,  the  pretext  of  the  whole  movement. 
We  should  be  striking  home,  therefore,  at  the  foundation  of  the  whole 
matter.  And,  rely  upon  it,  the  proper  way  to  argue  this  ethical  question 
is  to  put  the  Bible  arguments.  A  few  philosophical  minds  may  reason 
out  moral  relations ;  but  with  the  masses  the  spring  of  their  moral  ideas 
is  in  their  religious  ideas.  Our  political  men  have  neglected  the  re- 
ligious element  too  much,  in  attempting  to  manage  human  opinion.  If 
we  want  to  effect  the  general  current  of  national  opinion  on  this  subject, 
'Is  slave-holding  intrinsically  immoral  or  unjust?'  we  must  go  before 
the  nation  with  the  Bible  as  the  text,  and  'Thus  saith  the  Lord'  as  the 
answer.  This  policy  is  the  wiser,  because  we  know  that  on  the  Bible 
argument  the  abolition  party  will  be  driven  to  unveil  their  true  infidel 
tendencies.  The  Bible  being  bound  to  stand  on  our  side,  they  will 
have  to  come  out  and  array  themselves  against  the  Bible.  And  then  the 
whole  body  of  sincere  believers  at  the  North  will  have  to  array  them- 
selves, though  unwillingly,  on  our  side.  They  will  prefer  the  Bible  to 
abolitionism.  I  know  the  temper  of  my  own  denomination.  There  is 
in  the  Northern  States  a  vast,  powerful  and  usually  sober  body  of 
Presbyterians,  in  the  abstract  anti-slavery,  but  not  abolitionist,  who 
have  given  their  weight  to  the  Wilmot  proviso.  If  abolition  was  driven- 
to  assume  an  infidel  ground,  these  men  would  array  themselves  actively 
against  the  abolitionists,  out  of  their  sincere  love  for  the  Bible.  Here 
is  our  policy,  then,  to  push  the  Bible  argument  continually,  to  drive 
abolitionism  to  the  wall,  to  compel  it  to  assume  an  anti-Christian  posi- 
tion. By  so  doing  we  compel  the  whole  Christianity  of  the  North  to 
array  itself  on  our  side.  This  would  be  an  immense  political  advantage. 
"But  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  this  Bible  argument  in  our  favor, 
slave-holders  will  have  to  pay  a  price.  And  the  price  is  this.  They 
must  be  Avilling  to  recognize  and  grant  in  slaves  those  rights  which 
are  a  part  of  our  essential  humanity,  some  of  which  are  left  without 
recognition  or  guarantee  by  law,  and  some  infringed  by  law.  These 
are  the  rights  of  immortal  and  domestic  beings.  If  we  take  the  ground 
that  the  power  to  neglect  and  infringe  these  interests  is  an  essential 
and  necessary  part  of  the  institution  of  slavery:  then  it  cannot  be 
defended.  One  thing  is  certain,  the  relations  of  an  immortal  being  to 
his  maker  override  all  others.  We  must  come  out  and  grant  that  our 
right  to  hold  slaves  to  labor  does  not  include  a  right  to  make  a  husband 
guilty  of  the  sin  of  separation  from  his  wife,  for  other  cause  than  forni- 
cation, or  to  violate  the  chastity  of  a  female  by  forcible  means ;  and  that 
practices  or  laws  which  do  any  of  these  things  are  not  a  part  of  the 
scriptural  and  lawful  institution,  but  abuses.  Unless  Southern  men  are 
willing  to  take  this  position,  they  cannot  conquer  in  the  discussion." 
9 


130        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Mr.  Charles  William  Dabney  took  the  liberty  of  showing' 
Mr.  Ritchie  the  letter  from  which  the  quotation  just  made  was 
taken,  and  he  expressed  his  great  readiness  to  have  the  sug- 
gested articles.  Accordingly,  they  were  soon  prepared,  and 
appeared  in  the  Enquirer,  over  the  name  "Chorepiscopus,"  a 
name  over  which  most  of  his  contributions  in  the  JVatchiiiaii 
and  Observer,  also,  had  appeared. 

He  published,  in  the  October  issue  of  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Reviezv,  in  1852,  an  article  of  thirty  pages,  entitled, 
"Principles  of  Christian  Economy,"  an  article  well  fitted  to 
awaken  high  expectations  of  the  future  of  the  writer.  It  may 
have  been  somewhat  wanting  in  that  it  did  not  set  forth  "a 
general  rule  by  which  to  proportion  the  proper  degrees  in 
which  men  of  different  degrees  of  wealth  might  indulge  that 
species  of  self-improvement  which  consists  in  the  cultivation 
of  taste,  etc."  This  criticism  was.  passed  upon  it  by  a  man  of 
great  critical  ability,  who,  also,  pronounced  the  article  very 
valuable. 

These  articles,  and  others  which  he  published  in  this  period, 
gave  him  a  well-deserved  reputation  for  vigor  and  learning,  as 
well  as  for  a  sound  conservatism.  They  no  doubt  served  to 
■show  the  church,  and  especially  the  Synods  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina,  his  fitness  for  service  as  a  professor  in  the 
Seminary  at  Hampden-Sidney.  Another  article  in  the  Watch- 
man and  Observer,  in  November,  185 1,  on  the  duty  of  "Special 
Prayer  for  the  Conversion  of  our  Youth,  and  the  Increase  of 
our  Ministers,"  had  done  not  a  little  in  the  same  direction.  It 
was  a  single,  straightforward  plea  for  the  performance  of  this 
duty  on  the  part  of  the  people,  in  accord  with  the  solemn  in- 
junction of  the  recent  Synod  of  Virginia. 

The  condition  of  Union  Seminary  was  apparently  precarious 
in  1852.  After  Dr.  Graham's  death,  there  were  but  two  pro- 
'fessors,  one  of  them  an  able  and  efficient  teacher,  the  other 
:already  burdened  with  years,  though  a  very  excellent  man. 
The  endowment  was  very  small.  The  salary  paid  a  professor 
was  only  twelve  hundred  dollars  and  a  house.  The  number  of 
students,  eleven ;  and  the  opinion  had  gone  abroad  that  the 
institution  had  poor  prospects.  Students  from  the  two  con- 
trolling Synods  were  inclined  to  go  to  Princeton  or  to  Columbia. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  naturally  difficult  to 
properly  fill  the  vacant  professorship.  It  was,  indeed,  rather 
hawked  about.     There  was  a  natural  desire  to  elect  a  man  of 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  131 

note  throughout  the  country  that  attention  might  be  attracted 
to  the  Seminary,  and  attraction  thither  created  by  his  influence. 
In  the  summer  of  1852,  the  electors  offered  the  position  to  Dr. 
Robert  J.  Breckinridge.  Mr.  Dabney,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  electoral  body,  was  dissatisfied  with  the  election,  having 
preferred  the  Rev.  Benjamin  M.  Smith,  though  he  had  hesitated 
to  vote  for  him,  on  account  of  Mr.  Smith's  being  a  brother-in- 
law.  He  gives,  at  least,  a  partial  explanation  of  his  not  voting 
for  Dr.  Breckinridge,  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  William,  dated 
June  28,  1852.  He  says,  after  giving  an  account  of  a  sojourn 
in  Lynchburg: 

"I  went  from  Lynchburg  to  Union  Seminary  in  a  day,  fifty  miles. 
When  I  got  there  I  found  the  Board  of  Electors  busy,  hammering  at 
their  nominations.  I  had  purposely  fixed  my  arrival  after  the  hour  set 
for  the  meeting,  in  the  hope  that  the  business  might  be  done  before  I 
got  there.  But  an  unexpected  trouble  had  arisen.  Some  had  taken  it 
into  their  heads  that  Dr.  R,  J.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky,  was  dis- 
satisfied with  his  present  position,  rather  broken  in  health  and  spirits, 
and,  on  the  whole,  might  be  willing  to  'retire'  to  the  quiet  of  the  Semi- 
nary. We  believe  that  the  real  promoters  of  the  idea  never  had  the 
remotest  thought  of  his  accepting,  but  only  used  it  as  a  ruse  to  delay 
the  election  of  Smith,  to  whom  they  were  opposed.  Alas !  that  there 
should  be  ruses  among  Christians.  The  idea  of  a  man  of  his  tastes 
and  reputation,  of  his  varied  wealth,  with  twelve  children  and  step- 
children, his  wife's  daughters  keeping  their  own  carriage,  his  wife 
keeping  hers,  administering  her  own  splendid  estate  and  moving  among 
the  haut  ton  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  a  man  who  spends  five  or  six  thousand 
dollars  a  year,  and  holds  one  of  the  highest  elective  offices  in  Kentucky, 
coming  to  live  in  quiet  L^nion  Seminary,  with  a  salary  of  twelve  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year,  to  assist  in  teaching  a  few  poor  young  men  divinity, 
is  preposterous.  Those  who  nominated  him  did  not  believe  it.  In  itself, 
I  did  not  consider  the  choice  a  good  one.  The  case  of  Judge  Tucker 
and  the  Law  School  of  the  University  has  taught  me  the  folly  of  elect- 
ing a  man  who  has  the  disposition  to  retire  upon  his  ease  to  such 
schools.  Dr.  Breckinridge  was  raised  a  lawyer  and  politician,  and  only 
became  a  minister  after  he  settled  in  life.  But  he  has  sense,  and  would 
soon  have  scholarship  enough  for  any  such  office,  in  a  short  time,  if  he 
had  a  suitable  temper,  and  chose  to  bend  his  mind  to  it.  He  is  supposed 
to  have  one  of  the  most  active  minds  in  the  nation.  Dr.  Alexander,  a 
very  sober  judge,  said  he  believed  he  had  more  forensic  talent,  take 
him  all  around,  than  any  other  man  in  the  world.  His  first  wife  was  a 
Preston.  Being  with  Mr.  William  C.  Preston  at  Washington,  one  day, 
he  met  with  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  Preston  being  called  out,  he  and  Mr. 
Calhoun  were  left  a  good  while  together.     Breckinridge  was  always  a 


132        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Clay  man,  being  a  neighbor,  and  they  entered  into  a  conversational 
debate  on  nullification.  When  Mr.  Preston  returned  and  Breckinridge 
went  away,  Mr.  Calhoun  expressed  his  amazement  at  the  acuteness  and 
force  of  his  mind,  and  said  he  found  him  harder  to  answer  than  any 
of  the  professed  politicians,  asking  who  on  earth  he  could  be.  Mr. 
Preston  said  he  was  only  a  Presbyterian  parson  from  Baltimore.  But 
with  all  his  noble  and  generous  traits,  and  his  piety,  which  seems  to 
be  unfeigned,  his  temper  is  irritable,  so  that  he  has  never  done  a 
great  deal  of  good.  I  voted  for  Smith,  but  without  any  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  struggle.  Breckinridge  was  elected  by  one  vote.  But 
it  is  all  a  farce.  They  might  just  as  well  have  elected  Dr.  Whately 
or  Dr.  Merle  D'Aubigne,  of  Geneva." 

His  prophecy  as  to  the  issue  of  this  election  came  true.  Dr. 
Breckinridge  did  not  come.  It  was  in  the  preceding  November 
that  Mr.  Dabney  had  pubhshed,  in  the  JVatchiiiaii  and  Observer, 
the  article  on  the  "Reasons  for  Observing  the  Day  of  Prayer 
for  the  Conversion  of  Youths,  and  the  Increase  of  Ministers." 
In  this  article,  after  showing  that  only  two  men,  out  of  about 
five  hundred  and  fifty  youths  pursuing  a  liberal  education,  and 
not  connected  with  denominations  other  than  Presbyterian  in 
three  colleges  in  Virginia,  only  two  men  from  the  Synod  of 
Virginia,  although  the  Synod  contained  over  a  hundred  minis- 
terial families,  and  over  five  hundred  elders,  whence  our  minis- 
ters, for  the  most  part,  come — only  two  men  were  added  to  the 
Seminary  for  the  session  i85i-'52;  that  from  the  Synod  of 
Virginia,  Union  Seminary  had  only  five  or  six  men  altogether, 
and  of  these,  only  two  native-born  \^irginians,  he  broke  out : 

"Hear  this,  ye  Christian  fathers  !  Hear  this,  ye  mothers  in  Israel ! 
In  truth,  we  have  been  sliding  down  the  cold  and  drowsy  descent  of 
worldliness  till  we  have  unconsciously  reached  a  state  that  is  absolutely 
frightful.  That  spirit  of  consecration  to  God.  of  which  a  desire  to 
serve  God  in  the  ministry  is  the  sure  indication,  has  almost  utterly 
deserted  our  churches.  .  .  .  How  bitter  must  be  the  divine  frown 
that  rests  upon  us,  and  to  how  alarming  an  extent  must  the  Holy  Ghost 
have  withdrawn  his  true  power  from  us,  when  in  all  these  professedly 
Christian  families  there  was  only  enough  of  self-devotion  to  lead  two 
young  men  from  us  to  the  school  of  the  prophets.    .    .    . 

"Now,  if  other  churches  have  lent  us  a  few  of  their  sons  to  supply 
the  shameful  destitution  we  have  created,  far  be  it  from  us  to  look 
coldly  on  the  gift.  We  rejoice  in  the  acquisition  of  every  true  minister, 
from  whatever  source.  We  are  the  last  to  intend  anything  invidious 
towards  those  who  come  to  labor  among  us.  But  yet,  are  we  willing, 
as  Virginians,  to  sink  into  this  state  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  vas- 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  133 

salage  to  other  communities  ;  we.  who  have  given  so  many  intellectual 
rulers  to  the  human  race?  No  Presbyterian  need  be  told  how  exten- 
sively an  educated  ministry  rules  and  molds  the  minds  entrusted  to  it. 
And  of  all  Virginians,  are  we,  Virginia  Presbyterians,  we  who 
have  given  a  Hoge,  a  Rice,  an  Alexander  to  the  church  and  to  the 
world,  willing  to  resign  ourselves  to  a  foreign  guidance?  And  of  all 
times,  are  we  willing  that  the  control  of  public  opinion  shall  be 
given  up  to  other  sections  at  tliis  time,  when  differences  of  opinion, 
and  even  lamentable  hostility,  have  separated  them  more  widely  than 
ever  from  us,  and  when  the  ill-will  which  pervades  the  South  against 
the  Northern  men,  whether  well  or  ill  founded,  has  almost  made  it 
impossible  for  the  natives  of  the  North  to  do  good  amongst  us?" 

This,  and  more  of  the  same  character,  in  this  article,  had 
pleased  mightily  many  of  the  leaders  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  In  July.  1852,  he  came 
out  again,  in  a  long  and  important  article,  in  the  JVatchiuan  and 
Observer,  on  the  "State  and  Claims  of  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary." He  does  not  seem  to  have  contemplated  any  such  efifect, 
but  it  was  natural  for  the  church  at  large  to  raise  the  question 
as  to  whether  this  young  man.  who  could  argue  the  importance 
of  the  Seminary  to  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  Presbyterian- 
ism  so  ably,  could  not  serve  the  church  well  in  one  of  the  pro- 
fessorships there.  In  May,  1853.  the  Board  of  Electors  offered 
the  vacant  chair  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity  to  Mr. 
Dabney.  He  was  not  a  candidate  for  the  place,  and  did  not 
desire  it.  He  knew  nothing  of  the  movement  to  put  him  into 
the  position,  though  his  friends,  such  as  Rev.  Moses  D.  Hoge, 
and  Rev.  C.  R.  Vaughan.  had  been  telling  him,  for  two  years 
back,  that  he  ought  to  be  chosen  as  a  professor  in  the  Seminary, 
and  Mr.  Hoge  used  every  exertion  to  secure  his  election,  and 
expected  it  fully.  Mr.  Dabney  was  happy  in  his  manifold  labors 
at  Tinkling  Spring,  in  his  preaching  and  pastoral  work,  in  his 
school-keeping,  and  in  farming  and  building  a  house,  in  his 
writing  for  publication  and  correspondence.  He  has  told  us 
that  one  Saturday  he  was  in  his  little  corn-field,  with  his  hired 
negro,  planting  corn,  that  his  wife  sent  a  boy  to  call  him,  that 
he  called  saying,  "INIrs.  Dabney  says  come  to  the  house.  Who 
do  you  suppose  has  been  elected  professor  in  Union  Theological 
Seminary?"  "Who?"  "She  says  you  are."  He  says  that,  in 
much  astonishment,  he  went  to  the  house,  where  she  gave  him 
an  official  letter,  which  threw  him  into  great  perplexity;  that 
he  much  preferred  to  stay  in  his  own  sweet  home,  and  with  his 


134        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

church  and  his  prosperous  school.  He  was  also  in  doubt  as  to 
whether  he  could  have  his  health  in  Prince  Edward  county,  for 
his  health  had  suffered  during  his  stay  there  as  a  college 
student,  and  again  during  his  career  as  a  seminary  student,  a 
fear  which  in  his  old  days  he  regarded  as  proven  justifiable  by 
his  experience  of  thirty  years  there  as  professor ;  for  during  all 
that  period  he  never  enjoyed  established  health.  He  feared,, 
however,  that  he  might  do  wrongly  by  deciding  in  accord  with 
his  personal  preferences,  and  against  what  seemed  to  be  a  call 
of  duty.  The  call  of  the  Board  of  Electors,  which  had  been 
unanimous,  received  commendation  from  every  side.  Drs. 
Wilson  and  Sampson,  of  the  Seminary,  wrote  the  most  affec- 
tionate and  urgent  letters,  and  to  his  replies,  replied  again, 
arguing  with  him  point  by  point.  Mr.  Vaughan,  of  Lynchburg, 
wrote  that  he  must  go,  no  matter  what  his  feelings  were.  Drs. 
Foote,  of  the  Board,  and  William  S.  White,  and  Dr.  McGuffey, 
of  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  many  others,  urged  him 
energetically  to  accept  the  election.  Thus  called  and  urged,  he 
submitted  the  call  to  the  judgment  of  his  Presbytery;  his  con- 
gregation, which  had  seen,  bursting  frequently  from  beneath 
his  usually  severe  bearing,  flashes  of  tender  and  intense  affec- 
tion, not  only  trusted  him  absolutely,  but  had  come  to  love  him 
devotedly.  It  made  a  most  affectionate  and  energetic  protest 
against  his  leaving,  maintaining  that  such  a  step  would  not  only 
greatly  injure  Tinkling  Spring  congregation,  but  Valley  Pres- 
byterianism.  There  was  a  very  solemn  discussion  before  the 
Presbytery,  resulting  in  the  decision  that  he  ought  to  go  to  the 
Seminary. 

As  illustrative  of  the  way  in  which  he  was  urged  by  letter, 
and  of  the  view  of  the  case  which  his  Presbytery  took,  the  letter 
of  the  Rev.  William  S.  White,  D.  D.,  of  Lexington,  is  pre- 
sented : 

"Lexington,  Va.,  April  4,  1853. 

"My  Dear  Brother  :  I  greatly  desired  to  see  you  as  I  passed 
through  j^our  neighborhood,  but  being  in  the  stage  and  in  great  haste, 
I  could  not. 

"As  to  the  general  aspects  of  the  question  submitted  to  your  con- 
sideration by  the  recent  vote  of  electors  of  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary, of  which,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,. 
I  have  already  given  you  official  information,  you  are  just  as  well 
acquainted  as  I  am.  I  regard  the  position  to  which  you  are  invited 
as  more  important  than  any  pastoral  charge  in  the  land.  And  I  am 
free  to  say  that  j'our  habits,  tastes  and  genera!  qualifications  fit  you  for 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  135 

the  station.  The  experiment  jou  have  made  as  a  writer  is  quite  suffi- 
cient to  prove  that,  with  the  opportunities  which  this  office  will  furnish, 
j'ou  may  reasonably  hope,  through  God's  blessing,  not  only  to  serve 
your  own,  but  succeeding  generations  by  your  pen.  You  know  me  too 
well  to  suppose  that  I  intend  this  for  flattery.  I  will  also  say  that  this 
opinion  is  entertained  as  far  as  my  acquaintance  extends. 

"As  to  the  election  itself,  you  know  that  I  have  been  long  anxious 
to  elect  Mr.  Smith.  But  in  this  I  was  not  sustained  so  as  to  make 
his  election  desirable,  even  if  it  were  practicable. 

"It  will  surely  be  enough  for  you  to  know  that  your  election  was 
unanimous  and  cordial.  Others  were  voted  for,  but  your  name  was 
among  the  first  put  into  nomination.  The  men  who  seemed  resolutely 
resolved  not  to  support  Mr.  Smith  in  any  event,  went  promptly  and 
earnestly  for  you.  As  I  stated  in  my  official  letter,  there  was  not  even 
a  minority  to  acquiesce. 

"From  the  Seminarj^  I  went  to  Farmville.  There  I  learned  that 
your  election  was  most  acceptable.  Even  Dr.  Leech  spoke  in  strong 
commendation  of  it.  The  Petersburg  and  Richmond  brethren  were 
highly  gratified.  Indeed,  Hoge  and  Van  Zandt  took  a  very  leading  part 
in  the  matter.  In  Charlottesville  I  spent  a  day,  and  there,  too,  it  was 
highly  approved.  My  own  people  I  find  greatly  delighted.  Indeed,  it 
meets  with  universal  favor.  So  far,  then,  as  the  voice  of  the  church 
can  be  regarded  as  any  index  of  the  will  of  Providence,  that  will  obvi- 
ously is  that  you  accept  the  appointment,  and  enter  with  all  prudent 
haste  upon  this  new,  wide  and  promising  field  of  labor. 

"I  have  never  known  the  Board  as  much  united,  nor  as  inucli  in 
earnest.  Your  place  at  Tinkling  Spring  may  readily  be  supplied — that 
at  the  Seminary  cannot  be.  My  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  is, 
that  you  may  see  the  finger  of  God  pointing  distinctly  to  acceptance. 

"A  brighter  day  is  dawning.  I  never  saw  so  noble,  so  promising, 
though  so  small,  a  band  as  they  now  have  at  the  Seminary.  There  is 
not  an  indifferent  young  man  among  them. 

"The  number  of  young  men  looking  to  the  ministry  is  increasing; 
or,  what  is  more  certain,  is  that  ministers  are  beginning  to  talk  and 
preach  and  pray  about  this  matter  as  they  have  never  done  in  my 
day. 

"Dr.  Junkin  says  'the  glory  has  departed'  from  Princeton ;  that  his 
two  sons,  now  there,  'are  not  at  all  pleased.'  I  know  that  but  for  their 
enjoying  the  proceeds  of  two  scholarships,  they  would  forthwith  leave 
and  come  to  Union.  Two  young  men  have  already  done  this,  and  one 
of  them  told  me,  on  my  late  visit,  that  they  were  pleased  they  had 
done  so. 

"I  went  by  Richmond  chiefly  to  see  if  good  Brother  Gildersleeve 
could  not  be  bought  out.  Since  I  reached  home  I  have  had  a  letter 
from  him  expressing  his  willingness  to  sell,  and  stating  his  terms, 
which  seem  to  me  to  be  reasonable.     The  plan  is  to  have  the  paper 


136        Life  and  Letters  of  Rohert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

edited  by  an  association  of  gentlemen — Hoge.  Moore  and  Van  Zandt 
have  already  promised  to  be  three  of  the  number.  We  only  want  one 
more.  Smith  of  Staunton,  or  Sampson  of  the  Seminary,  or  yourself, 
must  be  the  fourth. 

"Several  of  my  people  are  very  sick.  My  hands  are  very  full ;  so 
farewell  for  the  present. 

"Tell  Lavinia  that  she  and  Bob  and  Jim  are  not  to  say  a  word 
against  this  Seminar}'  business.  Give  them  my  love,  and  the  love  of 
my  wife  and  children. 

"Yours  truly  and  atTectionately, 

"Wm.   S.  White."    -■ 

In  this  summer  of  1853,  when  Mr.  Dabney  had  just  been 
elected  to  the  professorship  in  the  Seminary,  and  when  he  was 
only  thirty-three  years  of  age,  he  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  On  occasion  of  this  recognition  of  his 
abilities,  attainments  and  character,  by  the  eminent  Board  of 
Trustees  of  that  institution,  his  friend  A^aughan  writes  char- 
acteristically : 

"How  do  you  feel?  I  could  not  help  being  amused  at  imagining 
how  you  must  have  looked  and  felt  when  you  got  the  notice  of  the 
action  of  the  Board — to  fancy  the  strong,  sarcastic  expression  that 
twisted  your  dear  old  long,  severe  face,  as  it  struck  you  the  Board 
might  have  waited  a  little  longer,  and  the  gradual  modification  of  this 
expression,  as  yovir  religious  instincts  began  to  whisper,  'Maybe  it 
may  be  for  the  interests  of  the  Seminary,  however  embarrassing  to  me.' 
Have  I  spelt  you  right,  fnon  chcr?  But  really  and  heartily,  all  badinage 
aside,  my  dear  friend,  I  congratulate  you.  Your  blushing  and  well- 
deserved  honors  are  budding  thick  upon  you  this  year.  You  are  worthy 
of  this  title,  far  more  so  than  a  thousand  that  have  it.  The  title  of 
D.  D.  was  originally  intended  to  reward  high  scholarship  in  the  ministry. 
But  of  late  years  it  has  grown  down  very  nuich  into  a  distinction 
merely  of  age,  pastoral  fidelity  and  general  usefulness.  It  ought  to  be 
restored  to  its  original  basis,  and  on  that  basis  you  may  accept  it 
without  the  embarrassment  that  you  will  probably  feel  at  the  recollec- 
tion of  your  age.  and  the  recent  period  of  your  elevation  to  a  public 
])ost  in  the  church.  ...  It  may  add  weight  to  your  professorial 
character  and  extend  your  influence  abroad  on  the  fortunes  of  the 
Seminary.  But  whether  you  accept  or  reject  it,  you  may  be  sure  that 
those  that  know  you  will  not  dream  that  your  personal  merit  will 
l)e  afifected  by  it.  It  did  not  take  the  title  of  doctor  to  make  them 
respect  you,  nor  will  either  its  acceptance  or  rejection  alter  their  views 
for  the  better  or  the  worse."  ' 


Letter  of  C.  R.  Vaughan,  June  27,  1853. 


The  Pastorate  of  Tinkling  Spring.  137 

Mr.  Dabney  went  alone  to  the  Seminary,  in  August.  In 
October,  he  brought  over  his  family.  They  were  assigned  the 
residence  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  main  building. 

He  and  his  good  wife  must  have  felt  very  keenly  the  differ- 
ence between  the  life  in  a  pastorate,  and  that  in  a  scholastic 
institution.  His  Valley  charge  had  been  his  first  real  pastoral 
charge.  He  loved  that  people  as  he  never  loved  any  other  to 
the  end  of  his  life.  They  were  hard-headed  folk,  as  the  Scotch- 
Irish  ever  are,  and  hard  to  lead ;  but  his  own  honesty  and 
earnestness  had  met  honesty  and  earnestness  in  them ;  and 
they  loved  him  as  they  have  loved  few  pastors.  Here  are  letters 
from  the  Guthries,  and  the  Bells,  and  the  Van  Lears,  etc., 
lamenting  his  departure,  and  breathing  out  a  reverential  afifec- 
tion  for  him.  The  new  environment  w^as,  for  a  time,  less  agree- 
able, but  the  new  post  was  more  important. 

At  Union  Seminary  he  was  to  stay  thirty  years,  fill,  with 
great  distinction,  two  professorships — first,  that  of  Ecclesias- 
tical History  and  Polity,  and,  later,  that  of  Systematic  and 
Polemic  Theology — he  was  to  be  co-pastor  for  many  years  of 
College  Church,  the  adviser  of  many  in  need  in  his  community 
and  elsewhere.  There  he  was  destined,  by  his  writings,  to  bring 
the  philosophical  and  theological  world  into  debt  to  God  for 
him ;  and,  while  residing  there,  he  was  to  figure  as  a  patriot 
and  soldier. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  shall  study  his  life  while  he  was 
holding  the  first-named  of  the  professorships. 


CHAPTER  X. 

PROFESSOR  OF  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY  AND  POLITY. 
(August,  1853— May,  1859.) 

View  of  the  Importance  of  the  Chair. — Time  during  which  he 
Occupied  this  Chair. — His  Inaugural. — Method  of  Teaching. — 
Holds  High  Ideals  before  the  Students. — Vigor  and  Success 
of  his  Work  in  this  Department. — Other  Labors  for  the  Semi- 
nary.— Raising  Money;  Drumming  for  a  High  Order  of  Stu- 
dents ;  Superintending  Improvements;  Seeking  Professors  ; 
Teaching  Theology  to  the  Senior  Class  in  1858-1859. — Head 
Man  in  the  Seminary  after  1854. — Dr.  Sampson's  Death  in 
1854.  and  Loss  to  the  Seminary. — Dr.   B.  M.  Smith's  Election 

TO  FILL  THE  VaCANT   ChAIR.— Dr.    Wm.   J.   HoGe's   ELECTION   TO   FILL 

the  New  Professorship.  —  Reorganization  of  the  Seminary 
Studies. — Varying  Fortunes  of  the  Institution  in  the  Period. — • 
Mr.  Dabney's  Devotion  to  the  Institutoin. 

WHEN  Mr.  Dabney  went  from  his  large  and  important 
congregation,  leaving  also  his  flourishing  classical 
school  behind  him,  to  the  professorship  in  run-down  Union 
Seminary,  where  only  about  a  dozen  students  had  been  gath- 
ered the  preceding  session,  he  seemed  to  some  to  be  leaving  a 
larger  work  for  a  smaller;  but  he  did  not  view  the  matter  in 
this  light.  He  saw  the  pervasive  character  of  the  influence  of 
the  theological  teacher.  The  motives  by  which  he  was  actuated 
are  set  forth  in  a  letter  of  his  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.  Strickler, 
dated  October  8,  1883.  Mr.  Strickler  had,  in  the  meantime, 
passed  through  the  Seminary  under  Dr.  Dabney,  had  won  a 
most  distinguished  place  in  his  regard,  and  subsequently  an 
enviable  place  in  the  estimation  of  the  whole  church,  and  had 
just  been  elected  to  the  chair  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and 
Polity  in  his  ahna  mater.  Mr,  Dabney,  in  this  letter,  is  setting 
forth  the  motives  by  which  he  thinks  his  friend  Strickler 
should  be  moved.  They  were  those  which  had  availed  with 
him.    The  letter  is,  in  part,  as  follows:. 

"Hearne,  Texas,  October  8,  1883. 
"The  Rev.  G.  B.  Strickler,  D.  D. 

'"Dear  Brother:    I  was  sorry  to  notice  in  the  last  Central  I  saw, 
now   more   than   a   week   old,    that   your   church   in   ,\tlanta   had   voted 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     139 

against  your  going  to  the  Seminary,  declaring  your  post  in  that  city 
more  important  than  the  other.  Their  position  tacitly  concedes  the 
logic  that  if  the  Seminary  position  were  the  more  important  one,  it 
would  be  their  duty  to  give  you  up.  On  the  premise  (the  respective 
importance  of  the  two  spheres)  they  evidently  utter  the  judgment  of 
local  prejudice  and  erroneous  information.  Nobody  can  doubt  that  to 
train  up  many  pastors,  and  thus  multiply  yourself,  is  better  than  to  do 
the  work  of  one  pastor.  There  is  the  case  in  one  sentence.  So  Dr. 
Chalmers  decided  for  himself,  in  leaving  the  greatest  pastoral  work  m 
Great  Britain,  sustained  by  the  most  brilliant  personal  abilities,  in  order 
to  teach  theology  in  the  Free  Church  College  in  Edinburgh,  then  a 
comparatively  new  and  problematic  enterprise. 

"There  is  another  reason,  which,  in  your  case,  is  even  more  de- 
cisive for  your  going  to  the  Seminary.  You  have  that  didactic  turn 
of  mind  which  is  so  rare,  and  so  hard  to  find  in  a  high  degree,  and 
which  is  the  crowning  qualification  for  eminent  usefulness  in  the  Semi- 
nary. It  exists  in  few,  in  combination  with  mental  vigor,  learning,  pru- 
dence and  moral  character.  It  is  precious  and  essential  in  the  church's 
teaching  work.  Where  it  exists  the  church  is  entitled  to  lay  hands  on 
it,  and  appropriate  it  to  its  highest  exigency  in  training  its  pastors.  .  .  . 
"Very  faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney. 

"P.  S.—ls  not  this  a  proper  element  of  the  argument  to  be  taken  m  ? 
In  what  sort  of  situation  would  your  refusal  at  this  time  place  the 
Seminary?  Would  it  not  be  simply  terrible?  When  I  had  to  leave  (it 
was  no  free  choice)  we  had  the  hope  that  you  would  supply  my  place. 
If  you  refuse,  the  case  is  almost  desperate." 

Dr.  Dabney  taught  in  the  chair  of  History  and  Polity  for  six 
sessions.  His  inaugural  address,  deUvered  at  the  close  of  the 
first  session,  showed  an  unusual  conception,  at  once,  of  the 
difficulties,  the  importance,  and  the  dignity  of  the  historian's 
work :  ^ 

"There  is  no  department  of  human  study  requiring  wider  or  more 
profound  knowledge,  and  a  rarer  union  of  varied  talents,  than  are 
requisite  for  him  who  would  be  master  of  the  science  of  history.  The 
study  of  this  science  is  no  dull  tread-mill  of  names,  dates  and  events, 
as  some  seem  still  to  imagine.  It  is  based,  indeed,  on  a  multitude  of 
facts;  but  it  is  concerned  with  all  their  causes  and  relations.  For  the 
mere  verifying  of  these  facts  there  must  be  a  combination  of  accurate 
and  extensive  knowledge,  with  patience,  impartiality,  sound  judgment, 
subtlety  and  perpetual  watchfulness  against  the  blinding  influences  of 
prescription,  habits,  great  names  and  prejudices.    All  the  faculties  which 

'The  reader  can  find  this  address  in  Vol.  II.  of  Discussions  by 
R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D..  edited  by  C.  R.  Vaughan,  D.  D.  It  is  the  leading 
article  in  the  volume. 


140        Life  and  Lettf:rs  of  Rop.ert  Lewis  Dahney. 

are  requisite  for  eminence  in  judicial  transactions  are  here  called  into 
play;  for  the  historian  must  sit  in  judgment  on  a  multitude  of  com- 
peting witnesses,  and  hold  the  balance  of  truth  with  an  acute  eye  and 
steady  hand.  Nor  can  he  seek  his  witnesses  only  among  compilers  and 
professed  historians.  He  must  ascend  to  the  contemporary  sources  of 
information;  he  must  know  the  literature  and  the  spirit  of  the  age  he 
studies ;  he  must  gather  notices  of  the  true  nature  of  events  from  every 
side,  because  statements  or  hints  which  are  collateral  or  accidental  are 
often,  for  that  very  reason,  most  impartial.  The  more  rigidly  he  ques- 
tions the  original  witnesses  for  himself,  the  more  will  he  be  convinced 
that  those  writers  who  have  professed  to  compile  and  digest  the  mate- 
rials to  his  hand  have  discolored  or  misinterpreted  the  true,  living  pic- 
ture of  events.  De  Quincey  has  said,  'Two  strong  angels  stand  by  the 
side  of  History  as  heraldic  supporters :  the  angel  of  Research  on  the 
left  hand,  that  must  read  millions  of  dusty  parchments  and  of  pages 
blotted  with  lies ;  the  angel  Meditation  on  the  right  hand,  that  must 
cleanse  these  lying  records  with  fire,  even  as  of  old  the  draperies  of 
asbestos  were  cleansed,  and  must  quicken  them  into  regenerated  life.' " 

In  such  wise  he  vindicates  the  dignity  of  his  science,  then 
sets  fortli  its  importance  with  equal  eloquence  and  vigor,  and 
concludes : 

"And  here,  fathers  and  brethren,  you  will  assent  that  I  have  bestowed 
upon  my  science  the  most  magnificent  enconium  which  is  possible, 
when  I  have  said  that  the  history  of  the  church  is  one  of  the  studies 
and  enjoyments  of  heaven.  But  is  it  not  true?  Here,  then,  let  me 
stop,  only  repeating  the  expression  of  unfeigned  diffidence  with  which 
I  assume  a  department  of  instruction  demanding  for  its  most  successful 
treatment  universal  scholarship  and  a  mind  whose  imperial  powers 
unite  the  sagacity  of  the  statesman  with  the  epic  vision  of  the  poet. 
I  am  well  aware  that  such  an  undertaking  cannot  fail  to  result  in  a  life- 
long sense  of  deficiency.  Let  it  be  mine  to  feel  this  sense  as  a  stimulus 
to  greater  diligence.  And.  above  all.  I  would  seek  the  guidance  of 
him  whom  we  expect  to  be  our  teacher  in  heaven  to  unfold  the  divine 
dealings.     May  my  historic  muse  be  that  power  invoked  by  Milton: 

■'  'And  chiefly  thou,  O  Spirit  that  dost  prefer 
Before  all  shrines  the  upright  heart  and  pure, 
Instruct  me;  for  thou  knowest.    Thou  from  the  first 
Wast  present,  and  with  mighty  wings  outspread, 
Dove-like  sat'st  brooding  on  the  vast  abyss. 
And  madest  it  pregnant.     What  in  me  is  dark, 
Illumine;  what  is  low,  raise  and  support; 
That  to  the  height  of  this  great  argument 
I  may  assert  eternal  providence. 
And  testify  the  ways  of  God  to  men.'  " 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     141 

The  method  of  teaching  history  which  he  pursued.  Dr.  Dab- 
ney  has  himself  described  in  another  letter  to  Dr.  Strickler.  In 
view  of  the  possibility  of  his  accepting  the  call  to  the  professor- 
ship of  History  and  Polity,  in  1883,  Dr.  Strickler  had  requested 
of  Dr.  Dabney  a  description  of  that  course  as  conducted  by  him 
in  these  years,  1853  to  1839.    Dr.  Dabney  wrote  as  follows : 

"November  2,  1883. 

"Dear  Brother  Strickler:  I  promised  to  write  again  and  reply 
to  your  inquiry  about  my  method  of  teaching  Church  History  in  the 
Seminary.  This  was  a  long  time  ago ;  my  teaching  was  doubtless  very 
crude  and  imperfect;  and  Dr.  Peck,  with  his  longer  experience  and 
more  elegant  scholarship,  will  doubtless  be  able  to  give  you  better 
lights. 

"The  plan  of  our  Seminary,  as  a  biblical  seminary,  makes  the  Bible 
itself  a  text-book  for  every  professor.  The  Old  Testament  was  my 
text-book  for  the  history  of  the  church  of  the  old  dispensation;  my 
human  helps,  Prideaux's  Connexions  and  Alexander's  History  of  the 
Israelitish  Nation.  The  Book  of  Acts  was  my  text-book  for  the  apos- 
tolic age  of  the  new  dispensation,  with  old  Mosheim  for  the  rest  (with 
Murdock's  notes).  The  extent  of  the  Old  Testament  history  was  so 
large,  and  the  time  so  short  in  which  I  had  to  dispatch  it,  that  I  made 
a  sort  of  syllabus  of  the  narrative  in  the  form  of  questions,  referring  to 
the  Old  Testament  by  "book,  chapter  and  verse,  or  to  Prideaux,  to  give 
the  answers.  Some  interesting  topics,  as  the  Usherian  chronology  (as 
against  the  Septuagint),  etc.,  I  made  the  subject  of  special  lectures. 
This  series  of  questions,  I  think  I  have  still  at  Red  Hill.  I  lent  them 
once  to  Dr.  Addison  Alexander,  in  Princeton,  and  then  to  Dr.  Peck. 

"Coming  to  the  New  Testament  dispensation,  I  expounded  most 
of  the  Book  of  Acts  from  the  Greek.  I  then  made  the  class  recite  on 
the  whole  of  Mosheim  (with  all  of  the  important  notes),  and  lectured 
on  salient  points,  as  Prelacy  and  its  Development:  The  Development 
of  Roman  Popery;  the  Crusades;  The  Relations  of  the  Feudal  System 
to  the  Church  ;  The  Theory  of  Persecution  :  Of  Indulgences,  etc.  For 
instance,  my  lectures  on  Acts  and  the  first  three  centuries,  or  the  devel- 
opment of  prelacy,  and  the  true  prelatic  concel^tion  (which  I  think 
very  few  of  our  book-makers  really  grasp  intelligently),  are,  in  sub- 
stance, presented  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Review,  article,  'Prelacy 
a  Blunder.'  By  the  way.  I  wish  you  would  examine  the  theory  I  there 
set  forth.  In  teaching  Church  Government,  my  main  reliance  was  on 
my  own  lectures,  with  Mason  on  the  Church,  which  I  made  the  class 
read,  and  references  to  Turretin's  Eighteenth  Locus.  I  also  made  the 
students  write  a  few  essays  on  points  selected  for  them.  Of  these,  some 
were  capital.     This  was  about  all  I  did. 

"I  still  think  Murdock's  Mosheim,  on  the  whole,  about  the  best  class 
book.      Heavy,    objectionable   on    many   grounds,    but    yet   learned    and 


142        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

weighty,  and  introducing  the  student  to  the  wide  literature  of  the  sub- 
ject.    Dr.  Peck  came  to  use  Kurtz. 

"Dr.  Philip  Schaff  had  then  written  the  first  volume  of  his  Church 
History,  extending  to  the  Council  of  Nice.  I  thought  extremely  well 
of  it.  He  has  since  continued  his  work.  I  surmise  it  is  very  valuable ; 
may  have  the  makings  of  a  valuable  class-book.  Gieseler,  translated 
by  Cunningham,  is  invaluable.  His  text  is  a  mere  string.  The  valuable 
feature  is  the  well-selected  and  germane  notes,  and  full  citations  from 
the  contemporary  literature.  Read,  for  instance,  Mosheim's  sketch  of 
the  Nestorian  question,  and  then  Gieseler's  citations ;  and  you  will  feel 
that  you  have  daylight,  where  Mosheim  left  you  in  moonlight;  that  you 
have  gotten  to  the  kernel  of  the  heresy,  while  Mosheim  left  you  in  the 
shell. 

"Torrey's  translation  of  Neander  I  consulted  a  good  deal.  The  style 
is  heavy  and  very  Germanish,  and  metaphysical  in  places.  Yet  it  is  a 
storehouse  of  information.  Neander's  accounts  of  the  History  of  Doc- 
trines must  be  taken  'cum  grano  sails.'  He  tries  to  make  out  that  all 
the  fathers,  and  especially  the  Greek,  thought  a  la  Schliermacher. 
Hallam's  Middle  Ages  I  regard  as  invaluable,  as  giving  a  proper  con- 
ception of  the  feudal  system,  and  its  influences  on  the  church. 

"I  found  the  chief  drawback  to  be  this,  in  teaching  Church  History : 
that  to  study  it  intelligently,  and  especially  to  grasp  anything  of  the 
philosophy  of  history  (the  only  thing  in  it  worth  keeping),  requires 
much  general   information ;   and  our  college  graduates   have  so   little. 

"Best  wishes  for  Mrs.  Strickler. 

"God  be  with  you,  my  dear  brother, 

"R.  L.  Dabney." 


He  held  aloft  a  high  ideal  before  his  students,  taught  them 
that  they  were  in  the  Seminary  for  training,  for  "bodily  work." 
He  made  the  opening  address  of  the  session  i854-'55;  his 
subject  was  "Methods  of  Studying."  He  insisted  on  the 
necessity  of  active  habits,  elastic  labor,  on  learning  to  think 
with  definiteness,  abhorring  a  vague  idea,  reproducing  in  our 
own  verbiage  an  author's  train  of  thought,  on  "studying  fast," 
holding  that  otherwise  a  man  could  not  study  much,  specially 
after  becoming  a  pastor,  on  the  student's  availing  himself  of 
every  means  of  improvement.  He  warned  them  that,  if  they 
were  lazy  as  students,  they  would  be  lazy  as  future  ministers. 
He  not  onlv  taught  along  this  line,  he  lived  a  highly  strenuous 
life. 

He  studied  and  taught  his  course  with  great  vigor.  As  early 
as  January  ii,  1854,  Dr.  William  H.  Foote  had  written: 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     143 

"Brother  Dabney:  I  want  to  ask  a  small  favor  of  you.  I  under- 
stand that  your  labors  are  very  acceptable;  that  your  lectures  are  lis- 
rened  to  with  deep  interest,  and  that  your  example  of  study  and  investi- 
gation is  impressing  the  students  favorably,  both  as  to  yourself  and  as 
to  their  personal  duties.  In  all  this  I  rejoice.  To  see  the  Seminary 
begin  to  lift  up  its  head  again  and  be  reckoned  among  the  first  in  the 
land,  and  its  example  and  arrangements  claiming  not  only  attention, 
but  fixing  a  mark  for  others  to  aim  at — all  this  is  exceedingly  encour- 
aging. And  now,  my  dear  brother,  I  ask  a  favor ;  that  is,  that  you  will 
not  on  any  account  sit  up  and  continue  your  studies  after  nine  or  ten 
o'clock  at  night." 

And  the  good  Doctor  goes  on  to  argue  why  this  favor  should 
be  granted. 

On  March  10,  1856,  his  friend  Vaughan  wrote: 

''I  trust  you  will  never  listen  to  any  proposition  to  change  your 
present  position,  either  for  a  church  or  another  chair.  Write  a  Church 
History.  This,  in  my  judgment,  is  your  work.  It  is  my  deliberate 
opinion  that  you  can  do  it  better  than  it  ever  has  been  done,  not  with 
the  learning,  but  with  a  spirit,  life,  power  and  completeness  never  yet 
displayed  in  writing  the  history  of  the  most  wonderful  institution  ever 
known  on  earth.  Let  your  inaugural  discourse  be  to  your  future  labors 
what  Macauley's  paper  on  'History'  in  the  Edinburgh  Review  has  been 
to  him.  You  can't  do  this  without  sticking  to  your  chair.  But  if  you 
will,  you  will  make  a  book  that  will  give  you  more  reputation,  that  will 
put  money  in  your  pocket  for  your  family,  and  that  the  church  will 
not  willingly  let  die.  This  is  a  favorite  scheme  of  mine  for  j^ou.  What 
do  3'ou  think  of  it?" 

His  students  of  this  period,  still  living,  as  Dr.  James  P. 
Smith,  of  Richmond,  Va.,  often  speak  of  the  freshness,  pene- 
tration and  vigor  of  his  occasional  lectures  on  important  parts 
of  Church  History,  and  of  his  general  success  as  a  teacher  in 
this  department;  but  his  greatest  work  as  a  teacher  was  to  be 
done  in  another  department. 

His  teaching  of  Church  History  and  Polity  was  only  a  part 
of  his  work  for  the  Seminary  during  these  years.  He  made 
laborious  tours  every  vacation  at  his  own  expense.  In  the 
summer  of  1855,  he  travelled  as  a  collector  for  the  additional 
endowment,  raising  about  three  thousand  dollars. 

During  other  years  he  visited  churches,  colleges  and  universi- 
ties, preaching,  endeavoring  to  give  a  favorable  impression  of 
the  Seminary,  and  canvassing  for  the  "right  sort  of  students." 


144        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

His  aim  was  "to  get  hold  of  men  of  worthy  antecedents,  l)reed- 
ing,  and  piety  of  a  decided  sort,"  and,  as  far  as  possible,  of  men 
of  culture  or  of  unusual  susceptibility  therefor,  instead  of  de- 
pendent and  ill-educated  men.  He  was  besought  to  do  this  by 
friends  of  the  Seminary  in  many  of  the  Virginia  Presbyteries, 
and  in  several  of  the  Presbyteries  of  North  Carolina.  On 
September  8,  1857,  Dr.  Charles  Phillips,  of  the  University  of 
North  Carolina,  writes : 

"I  do  most  sincerely  hope  you  will  carry  out  your  plan  of  visiting 
us ;  and  please  try  to  give  us  a  Sabbath,  and  preach  to  our  boys  in  the 
College  on  Sunday  at  11  a.  m.^  and  at  night  in  our  village  church  as 
often  as  you  please.  We  had  four  hundred  and  four  on  our  roll  the 
other  day,  and  several  look  to  the  ministry,  and  others  might  well  be 
influenced  that  wa3\" 

At  another  time  Dr.  Phillips  writes  him  that  the  pastors  and 
sessions  are  indeed  under  obligation  to  seek  out  suitable  men 
for  the  ministry ;  but  it  is  still  the  duty  of  Seminary  professors, 
as  opportunity  ofifers,  to  come  to  the  help  of  the  local  presbyters 
in  the  effort  to  increase  the  number  of  candidates.  Dr.  Dabney 
was  fully  convinced  of  the  propriety  and  importance  of  such 
endeavor  on  the  part  of  Seminary  professors,  and  did  not  spare 
himself  in  regard  to  it.  For  example,  in  the  summer  of  1858, 
he  made  two  such  tours — one  to  North  Carolina,  visiting  Chapel 
Hill,  Yanceyville,  and  Milton,  and  other  points,  and  another  to 
the  Valley  of  Virginia,  visiting  and  preaching  at  Lexington, 
New  Providence,  Tinkling  Spring,  Winchester,  Charlestown, 
Martinsburg.  Berkeley  Springs,  Falling  Water  Church,  Rom- 
ney,  Moorefield,  Petersburg,  New  Creek,  Piedmont,  and  Cum- 
berland, Md.  During  this  vacation  he  was  separated  from  his 
family  nearly  three  months  on  itineracies.  His  jom-neying  may 
have  been  somewhat  greater  that  summer  than  usual,  but  it 
was  typical  of  his  vacations  throughout  this  period.  He  spent 
them  in  laborious  effort  to  build  up  the  Seminary,  and  ennoble 
it  by  attracting  a  high  class  of  students. 

In  1856.  the  election  of  an  additional  professor  required  the 
building  of  another  house.  Dr.  Dabney  was  made  chairman  of 
the  building  committee.  He  gave  the  vScminary,  as  a  free  gift, 
eight  acres  of  land,  on  which  the  house  was  built ;  he  drew  all 
the  plans,  and  superintended  the  building  of  this,  the  fourth 
residence.  This  house,  which  was  very  attractive  in  appearance, 
and  a  model  of  convenience,  was  assigned  to  him  to  dwell  in. 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     145 

He  went  at  once  to  work  to  create  a  garden  spot.  The  soil  was 
most  unpromising,  full  of  small  stones  and  of  small  black-oak 
stumps.  He  soon  made  it  a  famous  garden,  and  similarly 
improved  the  whole  lot  attached  to  his  house,  planting  an 
orchard,  and  an  additional  garden,  which  he  watered  by  irriga- 
tion. 

This  period  was  one  of  change  in  the  professorial  body.  His 
deep  interest  in  the  fortunes  of  the  Seminary  made  him  anxious 
that  the  proper  men  should  be  secured  as  professors.  Though 
not  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Electors,  he  was,  as  greatly  hon- 
ored and  trusted  by  them,  naturally  invited  to  take  an  active, 
though  unofficial,  hand  in  securing  suitable  men. 

In  the  year  1858,  his  burdens  in  the  service  of  the  Seminary 
were  materially  increased  by  the  request,  on  the  part  of  the 
Board,  that  he  should  conduct  the  senior  class  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Systematic  and  Polemic  Theology.  The  Board  had 
felt  that  Dr.  Wilson  needed  help  in  that  department.  A  most 
excellent  man,  and  very  much  beloved  and  respected  as  such  by 
all  who  knew  him,  Dr.  Wilson  was  burdened  by  years,  and 
could  not  carry  the  work.  Some  of  the  representatives  of  the 
church  were  in  favor  of  his  retirement  from  the  position ;  to 
many  of  the  noblest  ministers  and  elders,  however,  such  a  course 
was  abhorrent,  on  account  of  his  eminent  character  and  services. 
Of  this  latter  party  was  Dr.  Dabney,  who  always  entertained 
great  esteem  for  his  venerable  colleague.  If  the  Seminary  was 
not  to  suiter,  however,  it  was  necessary  that  some  one  else 
should  take  a  hand  in  the  teaching  of  that  chair.  Dr.  Dabney 
seemed  to  have  the  surplus  energy  and  the  ability,  of  every  sort, 
needed,  and,  accordingly,  he  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  the 
senior  class,  for  the  session  of  i858-'59,  in  theology,  as  well  as 
to  continue  his  work  in  his  own  chair  of  Church  Historv  and 
Polity. 

He  had  undoubtedly  been  the  head  man.  the  leading  member, 
of  the  Seminary  Faculty  since  1854.  This  will  be  made  clear, 
incidentally,  in  the  course  of  the  following  paragraphs.  It  may 
be  noted  here  that  the  evidence  is  abundant  that  he  was  re- 
garded, throughout  the  controlling  Synods,  as  the  leading  man 
in  the  institution.  It  would  not  be  proper  to  exhibit  this  evi- 
dence at  length.  It  would,  indeed,  be  invidious ;  but  the  fol- 
lowing excerpt,  from  a  letter  of  the  Rev.  John  W.  Pugh,  of 
Warrenton,  in  the  Presbytery  of  Winchester,  which  had  re- 
cently passed  a  set  of  resolutions  reflecting,  to  a  degree,  on  the 
10 


146        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

management  of  the  Seminary,  may  be  cited  as  an  example.  The 
letter  bears  date  October  8,  1857.  In  it,  amongst  many  other 
things.  Mr.  Pngh  says : 

"You  may  rest  assured,  however,  that  at  no  time  have  you  been 
stronger  in  the  affection  and  confidence  of  Winchester  Presbytery.  We 
all  are  rejoiced  that  Dr.  Dabney  holds  the  chair  that  he  does,  and  if 
ever  any  wish  for  a  change,  so  far  as  affects  him.  has  entered  the  mind 
of  any  one,  it  was  only  that  he  might  occupy  the  chair  of  Didactic  and 
Pastoral  Theology." 

The  lamented  Francis  S.  Sampson  had  died  on  the  9th  of 
April.  1854.  His  death  was  a  great  blow  to  the  Seminary.  He 
was  a  man  of  eminent  piety,  nnswerving  in  the  path  of  duty, 
very  modest  and  very  humble,  but  very  courageous  in  behalf 
of  right,  and  against  every  fonn  of  sin.  His  scholarship  was 
exceptional,  and  his  teaching  abilities  of  a  very  distinguished 
order.  The  churches  had  begun  to  appreciate  him  at  his  ap- 
proximate worth.  The  belief  that  he  should  have  him  as  a 
colaborer,  in  his  efiforts  to  build  up  the  Seminary,  and  raise  it 
from  its  decrepit  position,  had  been  one  thing  that  reconciled 
Mr.  Dabney  to  undertake  that  "almost  hopeless  enterprise." 
The  death  of  Dr.  Sampson,  his  most  venerated  teacher,  and  then 
his  colleague,  only  a  few  years  his  senior,  and  knit  to  him 
closely  by  ties  of  affection  and  a  common  deep  concern  for  the 
Seminary,  left  Dr.  Dabney  alone  with  the  venerable  Wilson, 
who  was  overburdened  with  years,  to  carry  on  the  work.  On 
the  24th  of  April.  1854,  Dr.  Dabney  writes  to  his  brother,  Mr. 
C.  W.  Dabney : 

"Dr.  Sampson's  death  was  a  great  blow  to  us,  and  I  fear  it  will 
be  to  this  institution.  He  was  eminent  just  in  those  departments  in 
which  good  scholarship  is  rare  in  this  country,  Hebrew,  etc.  His  sick- 
ness was  short,  and  though  his  lungs  had  long  been  in  a  suspicious 
state,  he  seemed  better  the  last  winter  than  he  had  been  for  many  years. 
He  leaves  a  very  helpless  young  family,  and  dies  intestate.  But  these 
are  comparatively  unimportant  matters  to  one  who  has  any  proper 
appreciation  of  that  world  which  has  now  been  brought  so  near  to  us 
by  his  entrance  into  it.  I  fully  believe  that  he  was  a  good  man.  and  is 
now  blessed.  Although  his  death  occurred  a  few  hours  earlier  than  the 
physicians  anticipated,  they  had  only  a  faint  gleam  of  hope.  He  was 
not  aware  of  his  certain  death,  even  up  to  the  time  when  he  ceased  to 
communicate  with  his  family  and  attendants;  but,  from  an  early  stage 
in  his  sickness,  was  aware  of  the  extreme  probability  of  such  an  is<ue. 
I  believe  that  there  never  was  a  man   who   faced  such   prospects   with 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     147 

more  rational  calmness.  He  said  to  one  member  of  his  family  aliout 
three  days  before,  "I  now  experience  what  I  believed  before,  that  a 
sick,  and  probably  dying,  bed  would  be  a  miserable  place  to  prepare 
for  eternity.  But.  thanks  to  the  Redeemer,  my  preparation  is  not  to  be 
made  now.  I  have  been  ready  for  a  long  time  to  go  any  day.'  He  told 
his  wife  several  times  the  last  day  or  two,  "I  have  a  great  many  things 
which  I  should  wish  to  say  to  you  and^the  children,  if  I  am  going  to 
die  now ;  but  the  doctor  says  that  my  little  chance  for  recovery  depends 
entirely  on  my  not  talking  or  getting  excited,  and  my  life  belongs  to 
the  Seminary  and  to  the  church  as  well  as  to  my  family.'  " 

In  the  summer  of  1854  the  IJoarcl  elected  Rev.  B.  M.  Smith 
to  fill  the  chair  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Dr.  Sampson.  Dr. 
Dabney  was  heartily  in  favor  of  this  election.  He  believed  that 
Mr.  Smith's  talents  and  qualifications  were  such  that  he  could 
speedily  fit  himself  for  filling  the  post  Avell.  should  he  concen- 
trate the  energies  of  his  very  active  mind  on  the  accomplishment 
of  that  one  purpose.  With  his  usual  energy  and  force,  he  urged 
Mr.  Smith  to  accept  the  election.  The  reply  of  Mr.  Smith  does 
honor  to  both  men.    He  wrote,  July  31,  1854: 

"You  are  a  very  sincere  man.  No  one  ever  accuses  you  of  flattering, 
and  you  are  not  generally  in  the  habit  of  saying  pretty  things  merely 
to  say  them,  or  to  compliment  others.  Your  very  great  earnestness 
that  I  should  accept  this  appointment,  and  the  terms  in  which  you 
speak  of  me,  and  of  the  prospective  value  of  my  services,  and  the 
serious  consequences  which  might  result  to  our  Seminary  on  my 
declination,  have  produced  a  most  painful  effect  on  my  mind.  If 
certain  others  had  said  twice  as  much,  I  do  not  know  that  I  would  have 
been  particularly  affected,  for  I  know  they  use  such  language,  with 
sincerity,  it  is  true,  but  as  expressive  of  rather  less  than  it  usually 
means.  Instead  of  any  elation  being  produced,  I  am  profoundly  hum- 
bled, that  in  the  opinion  of  so  many  brethren,  and  especially  in  yours, 
I  occupy  such  a  position.  I  am  scared  lest,  maybe,  I  hav^e  so  acted 
heretofore  as  to  make  false  impressions,  and  led  others  to  think  of 
me  "more  highly  than  they  ought  to  think.'  but  they  are  doomed  to  a 
bitter  disappointment.  I  feel  humbled  for  our  church  in  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina,  that  it  is,  in  any  sense,  thought  to  be  dependent  on  me 
in  this  matter.  I  will  tell  you  the  truth:  I  do  really  fear  that  in  God's 
controversy  with  the  Seminary  and  our  church,  he  is  sending  me  there 
to  help  break  it  down,  and  to  do  a  part  towards  rearing  men  for  the 
gospel  ministry  who  will  prove  dead  weights.  These  are  not  fantasies. 
I  trust,  too,  that  they  will  prove  to  have  been  only  fears :  and  yet  my 
mind  is  constantly  harassed  with  convictions  of  my  own  unworthiness, 
and  a  depressing  fear  that  my  brethren  expect  too  much  of  me.  In  all 
this  you  can  easily  see  tliat  srlfishiwss  which  may  be  at  the  Iwttom,  and 


148        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  DabxXev. 

yet  there  is  truly  a  deep  concern  for  the  high  and  solemn  interests  to 
which  I  am  called  But  enough;  I  daily  pray  to  go  in  the  strength 
of  a  divine  arm.  .  .  .  Your  views  of  the  importance  of  the  position 
of  Union  Seminary  are  exactly  mine.  I  felt  their  force  very  much, 
and  they  greatly  tended  to  decide  my  mind." 


Dr.  Smith  did  the  Seminary  great  service  in  the  course  of  his 
long  professorship,  but  in  the  ante  belluin  days  he  was  not  par- 
ticularly happy  in  its  service.  He  was,  throughout  this  period, 
inclined  to  be  despondent  about  the  future  of  the  Seminary.  It 
is  quite  possible  that  Dr.  Dabney  held  him  to  his  post  in  the 
Seminary  during  some  of  these  years. 

In  1856,  the  Rev.  William  J.  Hoge  was  elected  to  the  newly 
established  professorship  of  Biblical  Introduction  and  New 
Testament  Literature.  Dr.  Dabney,  probably  at  the  instigation 
of  the  Board,  had  been  feeling,  with  great  earnestness,  during 
the  preceding  session,  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice,  of  St.  Louis ;  but 
Dr.  Rice  was  not  willing  to  allow  his  name  to  come  before  the 
Board.  Dr.  Dabney  received  Dr.  Hoge  with  open  arms  on  his 
election.  Dr.  Hoge  was  a  most  lovable  man,  born  pastor  and 
preacher.  He  received  numerous  and  flattering  calls  to  pas^ 
torates  in  1859,  and  accepted  that  to  be  co-pastor  with  the 
venerable  Dr.  Gardiner  Spring,  in  the  Brick  Church,  New  York. 
About  these  calls  for  Dr.  Hoge's  services.  Dr.  Dabney  writes 
familiarly  to  his  mother,  on  the  22nd  of  February,  1859 : 

"Another  charge  of  my  better  half  was  that  I  should  give  you  all 
the  points  about  what  now  constitutes  the  chief  topic  of  the  talk- 
mongers,  Mr.  Hoge's  numerous  and  flattering  calls  to  the  cities.  .  .  . 
I  suppose  you  saw  some  notice  in  the  papers  of  Hoge's  preaching  in 
New  York,  and  the  compliments,  etc.  Well,  a  few  weeks  ago,  there 
■came  on  a  deputation  of  two  elders,  from  the  Reformed  Dutch  Collegiate 
'Church,  with  a  call  to  be  one  of  their  four  pastors,  at  a  salary  of 
five  thousand  dollars  a  year.  This  he  declined.  Last  Friday,  who 
should  pop  in  but  the  veritable  old  Dr.  Gardiner  Spring,  of  New  York, 
pastor  of  the  old  Brick  Church,  which  has  been  lately  removed  in  grand 
■  style  to  a  very  fashionable  quarter,  high  up  on  Fifth  avenue.  He  is 
getting  old ;  and  his  people  want  to  get  an  assistant,  with  a  view  to 
stepping  into  his  shoes.  The  next  day,  two  elders  (rough-hewn  fellows) 
followed.  I  suppose  their  purpose  was  to  get  further  acquainted  with 
Hoge,  with  a  view  to  a  call.  As  it  was,  they  came  very  near  not  hear- 
ing Hoge  at  all,  for  it  was  my  day  in  morning  in  the  church,  and  there 
was  a  Bible  Society  meeting  in  the  chapel  at  night.  My  hoarseness 
made  a  good  excuse  to  request  Hoge  to  preach  in  the  poor  little  N.  S. 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     149 

Church,  near  the  Court-house,  in  the  afternoon.  So  I  lent  him  my 
buggy  and  horse  to  carrj'  his  friends  down  to  see  him  show  his  paces. 
When  he  got  there,  Dr.  Smith  (a  Dick-at-the-minute  man),  who  had 
kindly  volunteered  to  perform  the  service  for  me,  hearing  that  I  was 
hoarse  and  desired  a  substitute,  was  in  the  pulpit,  and  had  begun  the 
services.  So  there  was  a  fix !  Hoge  dropped  down  among  the  hearers. 
Old  Dr.  Spring,  after  fidgetting  for  a  while,  actually  got  up  and  went 
into  the  pulpit  during  the  second  hymn,  and  made  a  clean  breast  of  it 
to  Smith.  Smith,  of  course,  immediately  got  up  and  told  the  con- 
gregation that  I  (R.  L.  Dabney),  whose  the  service  was,  had,  as  he  now 
learned,  deputed  Brother  Hoge  to  fill  my  place,  and  to  him  he  accord- 
ingly gave  place.  So  Hoge  went  up,  under  these  circumstances,  and 
preached.  When  I  invited  him,  I  told  him  the  afternoons  were  so 
short  he  must  limit  the  whole  services  to  an  hour ;  but  he,  as  usual,  was 
lengthy,  and  held  on  till  dark.  Smith  says  one  of  the  New  York  elders 
went  to  sleep,  and  waked  up  highly  pleased  with  the  sermon,  as  was 
also  Dr.  Spring.  I  suppose  good  Mr.  Knapp  would  have  justified  his 
nap  by  saying  that  he  knew  his  wise  old  pastor  was  there,  and  wide- 
awake to  watch  for  him. 

"I  invited  Dr.  Spring  to  preach  for  me  in  the  church  Sunday  morn- 
ing, which  he  did.  He  unfortunately  misapprehended  the  size  of  the 
house,  and  spoke  as  if  he  had  been  in  a  common-sized  parlor.  Half 
the  people  did  not  hear  him ;  those  who  did  were  very  much  pleased 
with  his  dignified  simplicity  and  paternal  unction.  His  preaching  is  a 
good  deal  like  Dr.  Wilson's,  and  not  any  better.  He  has  a  little  more 
airish  grace,  but  less  animation.  A  nice  old  gentleman.  I  don't  know 
whether  they  have  made  Hoge  any  offer,  nor  what.  If  they  make  him 
a  fair  one,  I  think  he  will  go.  .  .  .  Smith  is  again  down  in  the 
mouth,  of  course.  He  thinks  the  constant  changes  will  render  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Seminary  impossible,  and  those  who  can  go,  with  advantage, 
are  running  away  from  it  like  rats  from  a  sinking  ship.  My  motto  is, 
'Never  say  die.'    I  am  not  running  away.    .    .    . 

"Now  you  will  think  this  a  pretty  rigmarole  for  a  sick  preacher  to 
write.  I  will  tell  you  the  reason :  my  mistress  says,  'Betty  and  mother 
and  Lou  are  so  shut  up  there  in  the  mud,  do  Avrite  something  to  amuse 
them.  So  you  see,  I  had  no  option,  in  view  of  the  command,  coupled 
with  the  well-known  fact  that  a  little  piquant  piece  of  gossip  is  the  best 
thing  to  amuse  the  ladies." 

The  fortunes  of  the  Seminary  improved  greatly  during  this 
period.  The  number  of  students  became  greater  than  it  had 
been  since  the  death  of  Dr.  Baxter.  We  shall  see  the  Seminary 
run  the  session  of  i859-'6o  with  thirty-eight  students.  The 
character  of  the  student  body,  also,  was  higher  than  had  been 
known  there  for  manv  vears. 


150        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dap.xev. 

By  his  aid,  and  under  his  inspiration,  in  considerable  part, 
the  course  of  studies  in  the  Seminary  was  reorganized,  and 
greatly  improved  in  plan,  the  plan  being  adopted  by  the  Board 
in  1856.  This  plan  Dr.  Dabney  set  forth  in  the  Central  Pres- 
byterian, in  August.  1856.  It  contains  views,  most  of  which  he 
continued  to  hold  throughout  life,  as  to  the  proper  adjustment 
of  the  parts  of  theological  discipline,  and  as  well,  defines  the 
spheres,  in  which  he  successively  labored  while  connected  with 
the  Seminary  as  a  professor.    This  exhibition  of  it  is  as  follows : 

"i.  The  first  department  is  that  of  Systematic  and  Pastoral  The- 
ology. (Dr.  S.  B.  Wilson.)  This  course  of  instruction  begins  with  a 
resume  of  those  points  of  moral  science  and  natural  theology  which 
touch  the  Christian  system ;  and  then,  assuming  the  Bible  as  inspired, 
proceeds  to  treat  of  a  full  system  of  revealed  theology.  The  instruc- 
tion in  pastoral  theology  begins  with  a  discussion  of  the  call  to  the 
ministry,  and  then  proceeds  to  the  pastor's  duties,  responsibilities, 
temptations  and  encouragements.  In  this  course  of  study  are  expounded 
the  pastoral  epistles,  i.  e..  those  to  Timothy  and  Titus. 

"2.  The  second  department  is  that  of  Oriental  Literature.  (Dr. 
B.  M.  Smith.)  This  embraces  the  instruction  in  the  Hebrew  language 
and  literature,  and  in  the  Chaldee.  together  with  the  study  and  exposi- 
tion of  all  those  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  which  are  read  in  the 
Seminary.  This  professor  also  teaches  the  exposition  of  the  doctrinal 
epistles  of  the  New  Testament  and  lectures  on  the  theory  of  herme- 
jieutics,  or  interpretation. 

3.  The  third  department  is  that  of  History  and  Church  Government. 
(Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney.)  This  embraces  the  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  from  the  Christian  era  to  the  present  century,  the  history  of 
doctrine  and  theology,  and  the  nature,  planting  and  government  of  the 
church.  The  history  of  doctrine  unfolds  the  rise  of  the  successive 
forms  of  theology  and  philosophy  which  have  prevailed  in  Christendom, 
and  embraces  the  polemical  discussion  of  errors,  thus  presenting  the 
course  of  polemic  theology,  so  far  that  it  is  not  necessarily  introduced 
into  systematic  divinity.  This  part  of  the  course  is.  in  short,  a  discus- 
sion of  theology  historically  presented.  As  an  introduction  to  the 
history  and  government  of  the  church,  the  important  parts  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  are  expounded  in  this  department.  Sacred  rhetoric  is 
also  temporarily  committed  to  it. 

"4.  The  fourth  department  is  that  of  Biblical  Introduction.  (Rev. 
William  J.  Hoge.)  The  phrase  biblical  introduction  has  always  been 
of  a  somewhat  indeterminate  meaning  and  use  among  theologians, 
possessing  sometimes  a  wider,  and  sometimes  a  more  limited  sense. 
The  Board,  justly  regarding  it  as  a  general  plirase.  including  under  itself 
the  special  subjects  of  biblical  criticism,  antiquities,  etc..  have  adopted 
it  as  the  title  of  this  department,  embracing  all  those  subjects  which 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     151 

prepare  the  pupil  for  approaching  the  direct  critical  study  of  the 
Scriptures  themselves.  This  department,  then,  embraces  a  course  of 
biblical  archaeology,  under  which  are  included  not  only  the  chronology, 
geography  and  antiquities  of  the  Hebrew  people,  but  their  political 
institutions  and  history  to  the  Christian  era.  These  several  subjects 
are  not  taught  separately,  as  has  been  before  most  inconveniently  and 
unphilosophically  done ;  but  after  the  example  of  De  Wette,  in  his 
ArcJicEologic,  are  welded  into  one  continuous  course  of  instruction ; 
geography,  chronology,  antiquities  and  historical  events  continually 
illustrating  and  impressing  each  other.  In  this  way,  several  minor 
studies,  which  have  usually  been  regarded  by  divinity  students  as  irk- 
some, trivial  and  'scrappy,'  are  formed  into  a  course  worthy  the  interest 
and  labor  of  any  professor  or  of  any  students.  The  fourth  department 
also  includes  biblical  criticism  proper,  /.  c,  the  discussion  of  the  state 
of  the  text ;  and  the  canon,  in  which  study  is  included  the  whole  dis- 
cussion of  the  evidences  of  inspiration.  It  has  been  common  for  the 
Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  to  give  a  course  of  instruction  on  the 
canon  of  Scripture,  i.  e.,  the  consideration  which  entitle  each  separate 
book  to  its  place  in  the  list  of  inspired  writings,  and  for  the  Professor 
of  Theology  also  to  introduce  his  course  of  revealed  theology  with 
some  discussion  of  the  evidences  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible.  This 
ill-arranged  method  resulted  either  in  two  incomplete  discussions  of  this 
fundamental  topic,  or  in  inconvenient  repetitions.  The  two  subjects 
are  now  thrown  together,  for  they  are  in  fact  one ;  so  that  the  Professor 
of  Theology  approaches  his  subject  with  the  postulate  that  the  Bible 
is  inspired,  and  proceeds  at  once  to  draw  from  it  his  system  of  doctrines. 
The  Professor  of  Biblical  Introduction  also  teaches  the  exposition  of 
the  Gospels  to  the  newly  arrived  students,  as  introductory  to  that  more 
thorough  exegetical  work  to  which  they  will  proceed  when,  better  fur- 
nished with  their  critical  apparatus,  they  attempt  the  difficulties  of 
Hebrew  poetry  and  prophecy  and  of  the  doctrinal  epistles. 

"The  numbers  which  we  have  used  above,  of  course,  do  not  indicate 
the  order  in  which  the  student  will  approach  the  several  departments, 
but  only  the  seniority  of  the  professorships.  The  logical  and  natural 
order  of  approach  is  rather  this  (and  the  consideration  of  it  will,  we 
think,  display  the  consistency  of  the  arrangement  above  unfolded)  :  the 
student  begins  with  the  great  fact  that  the  Word  of  God  (in  the  origi- 
nals) is  the  grand  repository  of  all  the  data  of  the  science  of  divinity. 
First,  then,  he  will  apply  himself  to  those  preparatory  studies  (biblical 
introduction)  which  are  necessary  to  facilitate  his  study  of  the  Bible 
itself  when  he  directly  approaches  it,  connecting  with  them,  of  course, 
the  mastering  of  the  Hebrew  language.  Having  thus  arrived,  as  it 
■were,  at  the  open  door  of  the  temple  of  divine  truth,  equipped  with 
the  necessary  means  for  its  inspection,  his  second  step  is  to  enter  in 
and  acquaint  himself  in  detail  with  its  contents.  This  is  the  work 
of  hermeneutics  and  exposition,  which  chiefly  occupies  the   Professor 


152        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

of  'Oriental  Literature.'  The  student  is  now  possessed  of  the  data 
of  his  science ;  but  they  are  not  in  scientific  order.  He  needs,  therefore, 
to  proceed  next  to  the  Professor  of  Systematic  and  Pastoral  Theology, 
who  teaches  him,  with  the  Bible  still  in  his  hand,  to  methodize  and 
understand  the  mutual  relations  of  the  Scripture  facts  and  doctrines, 
that  they  may  assume  in  his  mind  the  strength  of  0  system.  But  the 
student  intends  to  use  that  system  not  only  as  a  believer,  but  as  a  min- 
ister ;  not  only  for  his  own  enlightening,  but  for  the  redemption  of  men. 
This  is  pastoral  theology.  But  once  more :  that  saving  system  of  truths 
has  developed  itself  in  a  great  organization,  the  Christian  Church. 
In  the  thinking  and  acting  of  this  vast  society,  God's  truth  has  worked 
itself  out  as  mixed  with  and  modified  by  the  sins  and  the  traits  of  that 
human  nature,  with  which  the  minister  has  to  deal.  The  student  must, 
therefore,  mature  his  knowledge  by  studying  this  living  exemplification, 
in  the  events  and  opinions  of  the  church.  And  as  he  is  also  to  be  an 
officer  in  the  visible  kingdom  of  Christ,  he  must  study  both  scripturally 
and  historically  the  nature,  functions  and  organization  of  that  kingdom. 
This  finally  equips  him  for  the  actual  use  of  his  knowledge  as  'a  scribe 
instructed  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.' 

"The  prime  and  fundamental  idea  which  has  governed  in  this  dis- 
tribution of  studies  is  obviously  to  make  the  Bible  the  great  centre  of 
study,  and  the  biblical  department  the  great  one.  Our  Seminary  has, 
in  fact,  two  biblical  professors.  Instead  of  limiting  biblical  literature 
to  one-fourth,  or  a  little  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  course,  and  giving 
to  it  only  a  fourth  of  the  professional  labor,  the  idea  here  is  to  make 
it  the  grand  concern,  to  make  it  a  half  of  the  zvhole  course,  and  to  give 
it  the  labor  of  tzvo  professors,  distributing  its  parts  among  them  in  a 
natural  and  convenient  order.  This  institution  was  intended  by  its 
great  founder,  Dr.  John  H.  Rice,  to  be  a  school  of  Biblical  Theology; 
and  now  at  length,  twenty-five  years  after  his  death,  his  wise  and 
scriptural  conception  begins  to  be  realized.  According  to  that  concep- 
tion, the  Bible,  the  Bible,  is  the  text-book  of  the  theologue,  and  the 
grand  concern  of  his  training  is  to  fit  him  for  understanding  its  con- 
tents. While  the  importance  of  pastoral  theology,  or  of  polemic  the- 
ology, or  of  church  government,  or  any  of  those  studies  which  have 
been  sometimes  erected  into  professorships,  is  not  depreciated,  it  seems 
to  us,  in  view  of  the  great  principle  we  have  just  announced,  a  great 
waste  of  labor  and  learning,  to  devote  a  man's  whole  time  in  this  way. 
where  only  four  men  can  be  had.  Far  better  that  the  great  biblical 
department  be  made  complete,  whatever  else  is  left  incomplete;  for  it 
is  there  that  the  essential  work  of  learning  Bible  truth  must  be  done. 
These  biblical  studies  again  should  be  most  perfected  in  the  Seminary, 
because  they  are  most  likely  to  be  least  cultivated  in  subsequent  life. 
But  lay  the  foundation  here  thoroughly,  and  a  respectable  theological 
progress  in  after  life  is  ensured. 

"Nor  are  the  less  important  departments  of  pastoral,  polemic  and 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     153 

ecclesiastical  study  depreciated  in  their  distribution  at  this  Seminary. 
On  the  contrary,  we  believe  they  are  placed  where  they  can  be  taught 
to  better  advantage,  and  with  less  repetition  and  loss  of  time,  than  if 
they,  or  any  two  of  them,  were  erected  into  a  separate  professorship. 
It  is  most  natural  and  facile  for  the  professor  who  has  just  shown 
how  to  systematize  the  truths  of  redemption,  to  show  the  proper  mode 
of  their  presentation  to  the  human  mind,  that  is,  the  conduct  of  the 
pastoral  work.  The  polemical  refutation  of  errors  should  ever  be  con- 
nected with  the  history  of  their  occurrence,  except  so  far  as  that 
refutation  is  unavoidable  in  treating  systematic  divinity.  The  erection 
of  polemics  into  a  department,  separate  both  from  the  history  of  here- 
sies, and  the  demonstration  of  the  contrasted  truths,  is  not  justified  by 
the  old  and  usual  plea  that  error,  like  truth,  ought  to  be  discussed  as  a 
whole  and  a  system.  Error  cannot  be  truly  systematized ;  it  is  self- 
contradictory  and  inconsistent.  And  the  experiment  of  the  polemical 
treatment  of  theology  in  the  Protestant  universities  of  the  seventeenth 
and  eighteenth  centuries  was  unlucky.  It  did  not  promote  orthodoxy; 
and  it  produced  a  type  of  pastors  dry,  bitter  and  barren  in  their  spirits. 
Where  else  can  error  be  so  well  considered,  as  amidst  the  native  circum- 
stances where  it  actually  grew  up?  Again:  the  subject  of  church  gov- 
ernment ought  never  to  be  separated  from  that  of  church  history.  When 
the  history  of  the  church  is  presented,  all  the  materials  are  provided 
for  the  historical  argument  on  its  government ;  and  a  Professor  of 
Church  Government  could  not  discuss  that  argument  without  repeating 
the  facts  already  stated  by  the  church  historian. 

"The  second  and  subordinate  idea  which  has  governed  in  this  dis- 
tribution of  studies  is  that  each  professor  shall  be  required  to  expound 
some  portion  of  the  original  Scriptures.  This  is  important  to  the 
teacher  himself,  that  he  may  be  brought  into  immediate  contact  with  the 
Word  of  God  in  his  studies ;  and  that  the  reverential  regard  for  the 
inspired  Word  as  the  only  safe  evidence  of  his  propositions,  and  whole- 
some distrust  of  mere  human  speculations,  may  be  cultivated.  Ex- 
egetical  study  is  the  great  means  for  cultivating  a  right  literary  spirit 
in  the  theologian.  This  idea  is  important  also,  as  an  application  of 
the  first  principle,  that  the  Bible  is  the  text-book.  The  pastoral  epistles 
are  the  text-book  of  pastoral  theology ;  the  Book  of  Acts,  of  church 
government,  and  to  a  certain  e.xtent  of  church  history.  It  may  be 
objected,  that  as  the  Professor  of  Theology  will  be  chosen  primarily 
for  his  theological  ability,  and  not  for  his  exegetical,  and  the  Professor 
of  History  chiefly  for  his  historical  knowledge,  the  exposition  com- 
mitted to  them  is  likely  to  be  worse  taught  than  if  it  were  committed 
to  its  appropriate  professor,  who  has  been  chosen  for  his  fitness  for 
this  very  thing.  The  answer  is,  that  the  man  who  cannot  expound 
Scripture  respectably  can  certainly  never  be  qualified  to  teach  Christian 
theology.  And  the  portion  of  the  Scriptures  committed  to  these  non- 
biblical   professors   is   so   small   that,   even   if  they   are   expounded   by 


154        Life  and  Letters  of  Rouert  Lewis  Daunev. 

them  less  perfectly,  the  student's  loss  is  over-balanced  by  the  advantages 
of  the  arrangement  which  have  been  pointed  out. 

"Once  more;  none  but  the  Professor  of  History  can  treat  the  subject 
of  Historical  Theology  to  the  best  advantage,  because  his  studies  lead 
him  perpetually  into  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  that  subject,  and 
because  the  events  of  history  are  often  determined  by  the  opinions  found 
in  history.  The  interest  and  value  of  this  course  of  instruction,  as  illus- 
trative of  that  on  systematic  divinity,  can  scarcely  be  overstated.  The 
study  of  systematic  theology  is  like  the  labor  of  the  botanist  or 
mineralogist  arranging  his  dried  specimens  and  ores  in  a  cabinet;  the 
study  of  the  history  of  theology  is  like  that  of  the  same  inquirer,  exam- 
ining and  gathering  those  specimens  as  they  bloom  on  the  living  plant 
or  lie  embedded  in  their  native  strata.  The  truest  and  readiest  means 
to  apprehend  the  relations  and  affinities  of  any  dogma  is  to  learn  the 
circumstances  amidst  which  it  was  originated.  We  are  convinced  that 
when  once  the  student's  mind  is  possessed  of  the  current  ideas  and 
nomenclature  of  theology,  there  is  no  study,  except  that  of  the  Scrip- 
tures themselves,  which  can  contribute  so  much  as  this  to  the  fulness 
and  maturity  of  his  opinions,  and  to  his  familiarity  and  readiness  in 
their  defence. 

"It  may  be  stated  that  the  leading  ideas  which  underlie  this  classifica- 
tion of  studies  are  known  to  have  been  favorite  ones  with  some  of  the 
wisest  fathers  of  our  Israel.  Perhaps  the  particular  shape  which  has 
been  given  to  the  arrangement  was  determined  as  much  by  the  advice 
of  the  lamented  Sampson  as  by  any  other  cause. 

"For  the  first  time  since  the  disastrous  separation  of  1837,  the 
Seminary  is  now  brought  again  to  the  model  designed  by  the  General 
Assembly  in  its  foundation.  Its  faculty  is  complete  in  numbers.  Every- 
thing seems  to  be  in  that  situation  where  success  is  certainly  within 
reach  of  vigorous  effort.  May  not  the  Seminary  ask  of  the  churches 
the  generous  support  which  will  realize  that  success  ?  Much  has  been 
recently  done  for  the  enlargement  of  its  funds  and  buildings ;  but  much 
yet  remains  to  be  done,  or  the  efforts  of  its  friends  will  be  partially 
abortive." 

The  material  side  of  the  instittition  had  advanced  greatly. 
The  endowment  had  been  very  much  increased,  a  fourth  pro- 
fessorship had  been  established,  and  a  new  and  commodious 
residence  for  a  professor  had  been  built ;  and  it  is  merely  bare 
justice  to  Dr.  Dabney  to  say  that  all  this  advance  was  largely 
the  result  of  his  influence.  He  was.  in  this  period,  the  one 
professor,  in  the  vigor  of  his  powers,  who  regarded  himself  as 
permanently  attached  to  the  Seminary ;  the  one  professor,  in 
the  vigor  of  his  prime,  who  could  not  be  tempted  to  remove, 
who  did  not  despair  or  despond  about  his  work,  who  was  happy 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     155 

in  his  work.  His  services  to  the  institution,  to  its  general 
interests,  in  these  years,  can  hardly  be  put  too  high.  His  col- 
leagues were  noble  men,  and  did  good  service,  but  he  was 
preeminent  among  them  as  a  servant  of  the  mstitution ;  he 
could  write,  in  the  beginning  of  i858-'59-  when  the  number  of 
students  was  small  again  for  a  year : 

"Some  of  my  colleagues  seem  mortified  and  discouraged :  but  I  allow 
none  of  these  things  to  disturb  my  peace  or  provoke  murmurs.  I  feel 
conscious  ^hat  our  depression  is  not  due  to  my  fault;  and  I  try  to  go 
on  working  iust  as  cheerily  as  though  I  were  confident  of  succeedmg 
admirably.  If  I  had  foreknown  that  I  was  not  to  have  Dr.  Sampson  s 
cooperation  in  attempting  to  resuscitate  this  Seminary,  I  suppose  I 
never  should  have  thought  for  a  moment  of  coming  here,  for  my  con- 
fidence in  his  capacity  and  influence  was  my  main  dependence.  So 
judged  Dr.  McGufifey.  .  .  •  However.  I  am  now  in  for  it.  The 
Directors  have  treated  me  with  noble  generosity  and  confidence;  and 
I  feel  it  my  duty  to  labor  for  them  (which  I  can  do  happily),  even 
under  discouragements,  till  perseverance  plainly  appears  to  be  folly."  ' 

He  anticipated  no  such  aspect  of  perseverance.  He  believed 
the  Seminary  ought  to  succeed,  and  set  himself  to  make  it 
succeed.  His  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  institution  re- 
ceived a  signal  illustration  in  the  year  1858.  when  the  Trustees 
of  Hampden-Sidney  College  came  in  a  body  to  his  house,  and 
into  his  sick  chamber,  and  urged  him,  with  unanimous  voices,  to 
accept  the  presidency  of  that  College,  to  which  they  had  just 
elected  him.  The  reader  is  at  liberty  to  suppose  that  Dr.  Dab- 
ney  was  pleased  with  such  a  manifestation  of  confidence  on  the 
part  of  the  venerable  Board  of  Trustees;  but  the  call  was 
altogether  unsolicited,  and  was  at  once  politely  declined,  on  the 
ground  that  his  duty  was  to  the  Seminary.  The  presidency  of 
the  College  was,  at  the  time,  a  more  dignified  position  than  his 
professorship  in  the  Seminary,  and  the  emoluments  were  much 
greater ;  but  he  was  not  to  be  moved  by  such  things  from  the 
path  of  duty. 

^Letter  to  Mr.  C.  W.  Dabney,  October  21,  1858. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PROFESSOR  OF  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY  AXD  POLITY. 

(Continued.) 
(August,   1853— May,   1859.) 

Literary  Labors  :  Memoir  of  Sampson  ;  Contributions  to  the  "Cen- 
tral Presbyterian,"  the  "Presbyterian  Critic,"  and  the  "South- 
ern Presbyterian  Review." — Incidental  Labors  as  Pulpit  Sup- 
ply, as  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  Ha.mp- 
den-Sidney  College,  1857-58. — Trips  to  New  York. — Meanwhile, 
A  Checkered  Home  Life:  A  Devoted  Wife;  Other  Children 
Born;  Deaths  of  Jimmy  and  Bobby.  —  His  Grief.  —  Effects 
on  his  Preaching. — Sympathy  Shown. — Imperfect  Health. — A 
Voluminous  Correspondence  all  the  while.  —  Much  Con- 
sulted.— Letters  from  his  Friends  at  Tinkling  Spring. — Letter 
from  Thomas  J.  Kirkpatrick. — Letters  to  his  Wife. — His 
Social  Life  at  Hampden-Sidney. — The  Virginia  Society  he 
Loved. 

ALTHOUGH  these  years  were  so  busy  in  professorial 
endeavor,  and  his  vacations  taken  up  in  touring  in  the 
interests  of  the  Seminary,  Mr.  Dabney  found  time  to  write  a 
good  deal  for  publication.  His  most  dignified  production  of 
this  kind  was  his  Memoir  of  Dr.  Saiiipsoiij  a  very  respectable 
brief  sketch.  Dr.  Sampson's  life,  like  that  of  most  scholars,  had 
been  relatively  quiet  and  uneventful.  The  Memoir  is  a  charac- 
ter sketch,  rather  than  a  life.  As  such,  it  is  an  acute  and  able 
piece  of  work,  though  wanting  in  the  charm  that  more  of  inci- 
dent and  fuller  narration  would  have  given  it.  The  volume  was 
written  by  Dr.  Dabney  in  1854,  by  order  of  the  Board,  and  was 
handsomely  printed,  in  Richmond,  Va.  It  was  a  thin  octavo. 
It  has  been  republished  in  the  fourth  volume  of  the  Diseussions. 
He  also  edited,  during  the  next  two  years,  Dr.  Sampson's  Cojii- 
mentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrezvs.  He  prepared  a  preface 
for  this,  and  expended  no  inconsiderable  labor  on  the  body  of 
the  work  as  editor. 

His  contributions  to  the  JVatchmaii  and  Observer,  and  to  its 
successor  after  1855,  The  Central  Presbyterian,  in  this  period. 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     157 

would  have  made  a  respectable  little  volume.  In  1853,  an  article 
on  "The  Danger  of  Secular  Prosperity  to  Christians";  in  1854,  a 
vigorous  article  on  "The  Inadequate  Support  of  the  Ministry," 
and  one  embodying  an  "Appeal  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary,"  appeared.  During  1855.  he  took 
a  hand  in  converting  the  JVatchinaii  and  Observer  into  The 
Central  Presbyterian,  under  the  editorship  of  Messrs.  Moore, 
Hoge,  et  al.  The  rising  leaders  of  Presbyterianism  in  Virginia 
had  determined  to  have  a  paper  conducted  with  more  alertness 
and  vigor  than  that  which  had  characterized  the  Watchman  and 
Observer.  They  proposed  to  make  it  the  medium  for  the  ex- 
pression of  Virginian  Presbyterian  views,  theological,  ecclesias- 
tical, moral,  and  evangelical,  and  an  instrumentality  for  further- 
ing the  interests  of  the  church  in  their  region,  and  beyond, 
wherever  they  could  secure  entrance.  The  scheme  was  con- 
summated during  the  year  1855.  The  Central  Presbyterian 
came  into  existence  the  first  week  of  January,  1856.  Drs.  Hoge 
and  Dabney  had  much  correspondence  on  the  subject.  The 
part  Dr.  Dabney  took  in  the  enterprise  is  indicated  in  the  follow- 
ing letter: 

"November  7,  1855. 

''Dear  Brother  Hoge  :  Your  letter  was  handed  me  by  the  Rev.  I.  L. 
Wilson,  in  Greensboro.  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  that  the  loiigce  ambages 
about  the  paper  were  brought  to  a  conclusion,  and  that  so  much  was 
done  in  setting  the  project  afloat.  I  made  a  talk  in  the  Synod  of  North 
Carolina  about  the  project,  which  was  received  with  very  great  satis- 
faction. All,  nearly  without  exception,  seemed  to  hail  it  as  good  news, 
said  that  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  largely  increasing  the  subscrip- 
tion list,  and  promised  cooperation.  I  got,  as  you  will  see,  four  sub- 
scriptions besides  my  own.  I  fear  that  I  shall  find  it  hard  to  furnish 
the  cash  for  the  first  half  of  my  share;  but  if  it  is  necessary,  I  will  either 
raise  or  borrow  the  money.  If  you  will  recur  to  our  correspondence, 
you  will  find  that  this  idea  was  expressed ;  that  for  the  purchase  of  the 
paper,  Mr.  Gildersleeve  only  asked  bonds  well  secured,  as  he  only 
wished  a  safe  and  profitable  investment.  I  replied  that  I  would  cheer- 
fully give  my  bond  for  $100  to  him,  to  be  paid  with  not  more  than  a 
year's  delay,  or  thereabouts.  I  do  not  mention  this  as  a  ground  for 
declining  the  cash  advance  which  the  terms  of  our  joint  stock  company 
require;  but  as  an  explanation  of  my  unreadiness.  It  might,  perhaps, 
seem  that  such  an  unpreparedness  was  inconsistent  in  one  of  the  chief 
advocates  of  the  plan. 

"My  opinion  clearly  is  (as  Dr.  Green's)  that  we  ought  to  begin 
with  an  enlargement  of  the  paper.  I  would  like  that  our  first  number 
should  be  a  seven-column  paper,  so  that  we  could  make  our  first  appear- 


158        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewts  Dabnev. 

ance  before  the  public,  saying.  'You  see  we  give  you  at  once  an  enlarged 
return  for  your  money ;  and  this  is  an  earnest  of  the  liberal  policy  with 
which  we  will  repay  liberal  patronage.'  I  believe  that  the  issue  of  the 
paper  from  a  form  of  the  same  size  with  the  Watchman  will  have  a 
disastrous  effect,  though  the  typographical  appearance  is  improved. 
People  will  say,  'Well,  it  is  the  same  old  "slow  coach"  under  a  new 
name;  this  little  blush  of  improvement  will  only  last  a  few  months." 
I  believe  in  a  liberal  policy  as  the  most  profitable. 

"The  Carolina  brethren  expressed  cordial  feelings  to  our  Seminary, 
with  perhaps  one  exception.  They  say  they  wish  us  to  get  money  from 
their  churches;  and  that  they  must  have  a  native  true  Carolinian  in 
the  Faculty.  We  had  a  new  student  the  other  day  from  Rockbridge. 
Our  whole  number  this  session  has  been  twenty.  Only  nineteen  are 
now  in  connection. 

"My  boy  Robert  has  been  very  ill  with  an  inflammatory  sore  throat, 
and  was  at  death's  door  while  I  was  gone.  I  received  a  dispatch  while 
in  Greensboro,  Sunday  night,  and  returned  hurriedly,  in  great  anxiety. 
Jimmy  is  now  taking  it,  and  Bob  is  convalescent.  We  do  not  know 
what  is  in  store  for  us.  I  greatly  fear  for  our  infant,  for  the  disease 
seems  to  be  epidemic  among  children.    With  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Hoge. 

'"Yours  affectionately, 

"R.  L.  Dabney." 

Early  in  1856.  he  published  in  the  newspaper  an  article  on 
"Removal  of  Ministers,"  and  on  the  29th  of  March,  another 
and  a  notable  article — a  leader — on  "Pray  for  Your  Country." 
This  paper  was  a  plea  for  peace.  It  was  written  at  a  time  when 
nearly  all  Southerners  were  lulled  into  false  security  by  the 
"Clay  Compromise,"  on  the  free-soil  question.  It  took  the 
ground  that  the  calm  was  deceitful,  that  the  storm  was  coming, 
that  the  politicians  were  powerless  to  avert  it.  and  that  the 
country  would  be  ruined  unless  God  interposed,  and  the  Chris- 
tian conscience  came  to  the  rescue.  It  reads  like  a  prophecy. 
On  June  28,  1856,  came  out.  not  only  in  the  Central,  but  in  the 
Presbyterian  papers  generally,  the  Pastoral  Letter  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  on  Ministerial  Sup- 
port, penned  by  him.  During  the  summer,  in  a  series  of  articles, 
in  the  Central  also,  he  reviewed  the  Assembly  of  that  year,  in 
a  popular,  but  trenchant  manner.  Then  followed  his  "Exposi- 
tion of  the  Course  of  Studies  in  Union  Theological  Seminary." 
"A  Macedonian  Cry,"  and  an  editorial  on  "The  Necessity  ami 
Importance  of  a  Law-abiding  Spirit."  In  1857  came  "St.  Am- 
brose's Morning  Hymn,"  with  notes  illustrative,  and  two  edi- 
torials  on    "Were   the   Vaudois    Prelatic   in    Church    Order?" 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     159 

another  on  the  "Wants  of  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions," 
and  "Systematic  Benevolence."  and  about  a  half-dozen  other 
editorials,  including  a  capital  article  headed  "Our  Examination 
Rule."  This  paper  was  devoted  to  a  justification  of  the  Old 
School  requirement,  that  a  Presbytery  shall  examine  on  the- 
ology ministers  coming  from  sister  Presbyteries. 

During  March  and  April,  1858,  he  published  a  "Review  of 
Breckinridge's  Theology,"  in  which  he  handled,  in  a  manner 
thorough  and  severe,  the  audacious  Dr.  Bob.  The  review 
received  wide  approval.  Dr.  John  Maclean,  President  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey,  wrote  to  the  editors  and  publishers  of 
The  Central  Presbyterian,  on  April  8,  1858: 

"Let  me  take  this  opportunity  to  say  that  I  have  read  with  much 
pleasure  the  review  of  Breckinridge's  Theology  by  one  of  your  corre- 
spondents. The  review  is  both  able  and  just,  and  reflects  great  credit 
upon  the  writer.  I  trust  he  is  not  done,  and  that  he  will  take  notice 
of  Dr.  B.'s  adoption  of  Staffer's  opinions  on  the  subject  of  imputation. 
Have  you  seen  the  article  in  the  New  York  Ez'angclist,  in  which  it  is 
e.xultingly  said  that  Dr.  B.  holds  new  school  views  in  regard  to  this 
important  doctrine  ?  When  the  professors  in  our  theological  seminaries 
are  inaugurated,  do  they  not  give  a  solemn  promise  to  teach  no  doctrine 
inconsistent  with  the  standards  of  our  church?  Is  the  doctrine  of 
'mediate  imputation'  a  doctrine  of  our  'Confession  of  Faith'?  Has 
Dr.  B.  sinned  wilfully,  or  through  ignorance?  I  hope  the  latter,  taking 
the  exposition  of  the  doctrine  as  he  found  it  in  Staiifer,  and  believing 
it  to  be  a  happy  mode  of  presenting  the  subject,  not  knowing  that  it  is 
subversive  of  the  faith  as  it  is  taught  in  our  standards.  Is  it  not 
incumbent  upon  the  General  Assembly  of  our  church  to  inquire  into  this 
matter?  I  am  sorry  that  some  of  our  Presbyterian  papers  were  com- 
mitted in  favor  of  the  book  before  the  editors  had  informed  themselves 
respecting  its  structure,  its  plagiarisms  and  its  erroneous  teachings.  I 
hope  you  will  have  the  review  in  your  paper  published  in  a  pamphlet 
form,  on  good  paper  and  fair  type.  It  ought  to  be  widely  circulated 
in  our  church.  If  sold  at  twenty-five,  or  even  at  fifty  cents  a  copy,  a 
very  large  number  would  be  purchased  by  members  of  other  churches, 
as  well  as  by  persons  belonging  to  our  own  church,  at  least  I  think  so. 
I  form  my  judgment  from  what  I  know  of  the  views  I  have  heard 
expressed  by  different  persons  in  regard  to  the  desirableness  of  a  repub- 
lication of  the  review  in  pamphlet  form." 

Dr.  Dabney  was  almost  as  little  inclined  to  commit  himself 
to  immediate  imputation  as  to  mediate.  He  did  up  Breckin- 
ridge thoroughly,  without  altogether  pleasing  Princeton  in  the 
end. 


i6o        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

In  January,  1859,  ^^^  published,  in  the  Central,  his  "Treatise 
on  a  Call  to  the  Ministry."  This,  republished  in  pamphlet  form, 
has  been  very  fruitful  of  good.  In  the  issues  of  January  22nd 
and  29th  appeared,  also,  as  an  editorial,  his  "What  is  to  be 
Done?"  in  which  he  undertakes  to  show  how  we  may  reach  the 
destitute,  without  lowering  our  standard  of  ministerial  educa- 
tion, or  in  any  wise  change  our  Presbyterian  system.  In  an 
editorial,  in  the  issue  of  May  28th,  he  argues  overwhelmingly 
against  the  social  dance.  These  are  only  some  of  his  articles  in 
the  Central  during  this  period.  His  articles  sometimes  appeared 
as  editorials,  sometimes  as  contributions,  sometimes  signed,  and 
sometimes  unsigned. 

He  was  a  contributor,  and  something  more,  too,  to  that  bright 
publication  of  brief  life,  The  Presbyterian  Critic,  which  was 
founded  in  1855,  and  lived  only  two  years.  He  writes  of  his 
relation  to  this  periodical  to  his  brother,  Mr.  C.  W.  Dabney,  on 
the  20th  of  January,  1855  : 

"I  have  embarked  with  Mr.  Robinson  and  a  few  other  of  our  minis- 
ters in  the  publication  of  a  monthly  of  a  rather  nondescript  character. 
It  is  devoted  prevalently  to  religious  and  denominational  matters ;  and 
is  intended  to  be  less  heavy  and  formal  than  the  quarterlies,  but  more 
substantial  than  a  weekly  newspaper.  The  pecuniary  risk  on  my  side 
is  very  small,  only  about  twenty-five  dollars,  and,  indeed,  small  on  all 
sides.  We  buy  no  material,  and  do  not  even  have  an  office.  The  whole 
work  is  done  by  contract,  and  the  few  accounts  necessary  kept  in  the 
counting-room  of  a  Presbyterian  book-seller  in  Baltimore,  who  acts 
as  general  agent.  Each  monthly  edition  will  be  sold  chiefly  as  Harper's 
is.  The  sales  in  every  case  are  for  cash,  and  the  co-partnership  lasts 
only  for  one  year.  The  worst  risk,  therefore,  which  we  run,  is  that  if 
it  should  not  be  popular  enough  to  sell,  we  may  sink  the  fund  of  a 
few  hundred  dollars,  which  we  raise  to  start  with,  by  a  small  con- 
tribution from  each  member.  But  I  have  no  fear  it  will  not  sell.  Each 
member  of  the  association  has  a  circle  of  friends  who  would  buy  it 
from  personal  motives;  and  these,  put  together,  will  make  most  enough 
to  support  it.  And  there  is  no  fear,  from  the  pens  which  are  enlisted, 
that  it  will  not  be  spirited  enough  to  draw  attention.  A  part  of  them 
are  Rev.  Stuart  Robinson,  William  Hoge  of  Baltimore,  Dr.  McGuflfey. 
J.  H.  Bocock,  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge  of  Kentucky.  Ben  Smith,  etc.  The 
Northern  Presbyterian  journals  are  so  excessively  genteel  and  proper, 
so  full  of  cowardly  prudence,  and  so  hide-bound  about  admitting  any 
novelty  of  discussion,  that  they  have  sunk  into  the  unutterable  dullness 
of  aristocratic  gentility.  They  'stand  so  high'  that  they  have  the  quiet 
and  freezing  atmosphere  of  Mount  Blanc." 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     i6r 

The  Presbyterian  Critic,  under  the  direction  of  Stuart  Robin- 
son, assisted  by  Thomas  E.  Peck,  was  one  of  the  strongest  and 
breeziest  pubhcations  that  the  Old  School  Church,  or  her  heir, 
the  Southern  Church,  has  ever  been  blessed  with.  There  were 
giants  in  those  days,  stars  of  magnitude,  and  amongst  them  all 
there  was  not  a  greater  giant  than  R.  L.  Dabney.  Others  of 
these  stars  scintillated  more  brightly,  but  there  was  a  steady 
luminousness  about  him  equal  to  that  of  any  of  the  rest.  In  the 
first  volume  of  the  Critic  he  has  papers  on  "Relation  of  our 
Theological  Seminaries  to  our  System  of  Government,"  "Rela- 
tion of  the  Seminaries  to  the  General  Assembly,"  "Sabbath 
Railroad  Trains,"  "Abstractionists,"  "Gospel  Idea  of  Preach- 
ing," "Review  of  Bledsoe  on  Liberty  and  Slavery,"  "Influence 
of  Popery  on  Literature  and  Mental  Cultivation." 

He  was  also  an  occasional,  as  well  as  a  valued,  contributor  to 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Review.  The  editors  write  to  him, 
and  tell  him  that  they  desire  just  such  contributions  as  he 
makes,  and  that  they  wish  them  to  come  more  frequently  and 
regularly.  The  appreciation  in  which  his  writings  in  this 
period  were  held  by  the  readers  of  the  Rez'iezc  may  be  fairly 
illustrated  by  the  following  letter  from  the  Hon.  Job  Johnston, 
of  South  Carolina : 

"Newberry,  February  8,  1858. 

"Dear  Sir  :  Pardon  the  liberty  taken  by  one  entirely  unknown  to 
you  in  addressing  you  thus  unceremoniously.  I  have  read  with  uncom- 
mon pleasure  your  article  on  'The  Sabbath  Controversy.'  published  in 
the  last  October  number  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Reviezv;  and 
have  drawn  the  attention  of  others,  on  whose  judgment  and  piety  I 
strongly  rely,  to  it ;  and  from  their  opinion  of  it,  concurring  with  my 
own,  I  am  induced  to  suggest  to  you  that  if  it  were  published  as  a 
separate  tract  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication,  it  might  do 
infinite  service  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  religion. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  a  work  which,  in  brief  limits,  more  com- 
pletely exhausts  the  question  which  it  handles  than  any  I  have  seen. 
The  style  is  clear,  and  so  far  well  suited  to  produce  popular  effect.  The 
question  discussed  is  one  of  vital  importance :  and  it  is  very  desirable 
that  a  production  so  well  calculated  to  give  it  a  satisfactory  solution 
should  be  elevated  from  the  ranks  of  fugitive  to  that  of  permanent 
sacred  literature.     .     .     . 

"With  sincere  respect,  etc.,  "Job  Johnston." 

The  labors  peculiar  to  his  burdensome  professorship,  and  his 
more  diversified  labors  in  behalf  of  the  general  interests  of  the 


i62        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxev. 

Seminary,  and  these  literary  labors,  wanted  much  of  absorbing- 
all  the  energies  of  this  young  professor  of  Church  History ;  he 
performed  much  in  the  way  of  pulpit  supply.  During  the  years 
1855  and  1856,  he  supplied  the  New  Store  Church,  in  Bucking- 
ham county,  which  was  distant  from  the  Hill  eighteen  miles ; 
then  the  Village  Church,  at  Charlotte  Courthouse,  which  was 
twenty-one  miles  off,  and  Briery,  which  was  fourteen  miles 
from  Hampden-Sidney ;  and  in  1858,  he  and  Dr.  B.  M.  Smith 
took  charge  of  the  College  Church,  first  as  supplies,  and  then 
as  co-pastors,  a  relation  which  was  to  continue  down  to  1875, 
when,  in  consequence  of  a  spell  of  bronchitis,  he  resigned  the 
pastoral  office. 

The  character  of  his  preaching  has  been  described  by  one  of 
the  students  at  the  Seminary  during  the  period,  the  Rev.  W.  T. 
Price.     He  writes : 

"Dr.  Dabney's  preaching  was  pungent  and  searching,  and,  in  in- 
stances known  to  myself  and  others  that  I  have  heard  of,  the  searching 
of  heart  and  a  sense  of  unworthiness  have  been  such  as  to  overwhelm 
pure-hearted,  conscientious  young  seminarians  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  would  not  be  equal  to  their  student  duties  for  days,  and  it  some- 
times looked  as  if  they  might  give  up  in  despairing  sense  of  unfitness, 
and  relinquish  their  studies  for  the  ministry.  Whenever  I  think  of 
the  influence  exerted  by  some  of  his  sermons,  what  is  told  us  about 
apostolic  preaching  readily  recurs,  where  Paul,  in  writing  to  the 
Corinthians,  observes,  'For  behold  this  self-same  thing,  that  ye  sor- 
rowed after  a  godly  sort,  what  carefulness  it  wrought  in  you ;  yea,  what 
clearing  of  yourselves ;  yea,  what  indignation ;  yea,  what  fear ;  yea, 
what  vehement  desire;  yea,  what  zeal;  yea,  what  revenge.' 

"In  every  instance,  however,  known  to  me,  except  one,  the  parties 
so  exercised  have  attained  high  reputation  as  useful,  spiritually-minded, 
'eminent  ministers.  The  exception  referred  to  became  a  good  physician, 
and  one  of  the  very  useful,  conscientious  Christian  laymen  of  his 
wicinity,  in  a  large  city." 

In  the  autumn  of  1857,  the  President  of  Hampden-Sidney 
College,  the  Rev.  Lewis  Green,  D.  D.,  severed  his  connection 
with  the  College,  and  went  to  Kentucky.  The  Trustees  asked 
Dr.  Dabney  to  teach  the  senior  class  the  course  in  Mental  and 
Moral  Philosophy,  usually  taught  by  the  President.  As  some- 
thing incidental  to  his  other  labors  in  the  community,  he  did  all 
the  President's  teaching  work  for  one  year,  receiving  therefor 
three  hundred  and  twenty  dollars.  His  success  in  teaching 
Philosophy  there  gave  a  considerable  impulse  to  his  reputation, 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     163 

and  led,  as  we  have  seen,  to  his  unanimous  election  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  College. 

In  1856,  he  served  his  Presbytery  by  going  as  representative 
to  the  General  Assembly,  which  convened  that  year  in  New 
York.  He  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
debate,  but  he  was  a  most  interested  observer,  and  keen  critic 
of  the  work  of  the  Assembly,  and  of  the  great  city  in  which  it 
sat,  as  the  following  letters  show : 

"New  York,  Monday,  May  19,  1856. 

"My  Dear  Wife:  I  do  not  remember  now  how  much  I  told  you 
in  my  last  letter  of  our  prospective  arrangements,  so  I  will  just 
begin  at  the  beginning.  We  left  the  St.  Nicholas  Friday  evening,  Anne 
and  Betty  to  go  to  Mr.  King's,  where  there  were  some  Albemarle 
people  staying  with  Cousin  Harriet,  and  I  to  go  to  Dr.  James  Alex- 
ander's. I  did  not  go  near  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  Friday 
morning  when  I  went  up  to  the  First  Church,  where  the  Assembly 
was  sitting.  To  those  who  inquired  why,  I  said  simply  that  I  had 
ladies  with  me.  Dr.  James  Alexander  came  to  me,  saying  that  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements;  but  he  would  just 
cut  the  matter  short  by  taking  me  to  his  house,  where  he  had  a  spare 
room.  I  very  gladly  went,  and  found  old  Mrs.  McClung,  Mrs.  Lyle, 
Miss  Mary  Lou  Reid,  and  one  of  the  Miss  Waddels  there.  So  we  have 
a  purely  Virginia  crowd.  It  is  a  delightful  place,  and  I  have  had  a 
pleasant  room  to  myself  till  Mr.  William  Hoge,  of  Baltimore,  came 
to-day.  He  is  not  a  member  of  Assembly,  but  came  here,  having  heard 
of  his  election,  to  see  Mr.  Harrison  and  me  about  it.  I  see  very  little 
of  sisters  Anne  and  Betty.  The  Assembly  keeps  me  so  busy,  and  New 
York  is  'Such  a  big  place,  that  it  is  hard  for  me  to  go  over  there.  I  will 
try  to  see  them  to-night.  Yesterday  (Sunday)  I  went  over  to  Brooklyn 
and  preached  for  Mr.  Van  Dyke,  and  dined  with  him.  The  big  guns, 
Drs.  Humphrey,  Thornwell,  Rice,  Plumer,  etc.,  preached  at  several  of 
the  most  prominent  churches.  I  missed  hearing  Dr.  Rice,  but  heard 
Dr.  Thornwell  last  night,  on  the  subject  of  Foreign  Missions.  I  had 
not  been  introduced  to  him,  but  he  sent  to  ask  me  to  sit  in  the  pulpit 
with  him  and  make  the  closing  prayer.  He  preached  a  noble  sermon. 
He  is  a  common  looking  little  stoop-shouldered  man;  but  he  has  a 
fine  mind.  His  manners  are  very  simple,  friendly  and  natural.  There 
was  a  tremendous  congregation,  and  four  people  (perched  up  in  a 
box)  did  all  the  singing. 

"I  have  not  taken  any  part  yet  in  the  business'  of  the  Assembly. 
There  are  so  many  that  want  to  talk,  and  the  body  is  so  intolerant 
of  any  waste  of  words,  that  I  shall  be  very  chary.  Dr.  Breckinridge 
is  not  here,  but  is  very  poorly. 

"Saturday   evening  I    went   with   sisters  to  a   concert.     I    will   tell 


164        Life  and  Letters  of  Rouert  Lewis  Dabney. 

you  more  about  it  when  I  see  you.  It  was  given  in  a  building  called 
the  Academy  of  Music,  which  is  fixed  like  an  opera-house.  This  is  a 
grand  city.  In  many  parts  the  houses  are  palaces.  I  promise  myself 
great  pleasure  in  telling  you  all  these  things.  But  I  cannot  tarry  on 
them  longer  now,  for  it  is  late  in  the  evening,  and  I  am  a  long  way 
from  the  post-office.  If  I  don't  get  a  letter  there  I  shall  feel  very  sad. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Assembly  has  several  times  received  bundles  of 
letters  for  members,  and  read  out  the  names.  My  heart  beat  so  that  I 
could  hardly  sit  still ;  but  my  name  was  not  called.  Amidst  all  the 
intense  excitement  of  this  great  city,  I  never  forget  to  pray  for  you 
and  dear  Charley  morning  and  evening.  May  God  bless  you,  my  darling, 
and  keep  your  soul  and  body  in  health.  May  our  little  boy  grow  and 
flourish  like  an  olive  plant  beside  our  table. 

"Your  Affectionate  Husband." 

"New  York,  Friday  evening,  May  23,  '56. 

"My  Dear  Wife:  .  .  .  The  matters  of  our  Seminary  went 
through  the  Assembly  entirely  smoothly.  They  have  nominated  Stuart 
Robinson  for  Danville.  Dr.  Breckinridge  is  not  here,  but  has  sent  Dr. 
Humphrey  to  manage  things  for  him;  and  he  has  done  it  most  adroitly. 
He  hoodwinked  Mr.  Harrison  completely,  so  that  he  actually  got  up 
on  the  floor  and  made  a  Danville  speech.  Dr.  Rice  thought,  as  I  did, 
that  the  Assembly  was  completely  entrapped ;  but  he  said  that  he  was 
tongue-tied  by  considerations  of  prudence,  as  I  was.  I  went  there, 
determined  that,  .nanage  the  thing  as  they  might,  I  would  not  open 
my  mouth.  I  think  they  have  made  fools  enough  of  themselves  ;  but 
so  be  it;  it  is  the  concern  of  the  Assembly,  and  not  mine.  They  will 
find  out  the  trap  into  which  the  have  gone  soon  enough.  Humphrey 
has  actually  managed  to  get  'e  Assembly  to  say  that  there  is  a  covenant 
engagement,  binding  all  future  General  Assemblies  to  secure  a  full 
endowment  for  Danville,  as  a  first-class  seminary  of  the  whole  church, 
and  that  it  earnestly  advises  all  the  churches  under  their  care,  including 
Prince  Edward,  for  instance,  to  give  money  to  Danville.  Nobody 
dreams  that  the  Assembly  means  it ;  but  they  have  said  it ;  and  Dr. 
Breckinridge  has  his  policy  in  it.  He  knows  what  use  to  make  of  it. 
We  shall  see. 

"To-morrow  the  Assembly  is  invited,  along  with  the  New  School 

General  Assembly,  on  a  steamboat  excursion.     They  have  issued  twelve 

hundred  tickets,  of  which  I  have  gotten  two  for  Anne  and  Betty.     They 

say  it  is  a  grand  affair;  I  expect  it  will  be  to  me  a  grand  bo-re.     .     .    . 

"As  ever,  your  loving  husband, 

"Love  to  mamma."  R.  L.  D." 

"New  York,  Thursday  night.  May  29,  1856. 
"My  Dear  Love:    I  went  to  the  post-office  this  morning,  and  got 
your    sweet,    precious    letter,    which    seems    to    have    been    written    last 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  Historv  and  Polity.     165 

Saturday.  It  made  me  happier  than  you  can  conceive,  unless  you  judge 
by  your  own  love  for  me;  both  because  I  heard  that  you  and  Charley 
were  well,  and  because  of  the  dear  words  of  love  you  wrote  in  it. 
Nobody  can  write  so  sweetly  as  you.  As  soon  as  I  saw  your  handwrit- 
ing I  tore  the  letter  open,  and  began  to  read  it  in  the  midst  of  the 
great  crowd  which  throngs  that  place  at  every  hour,  forgetful  of  pick- 
pockets, curious  eyes  and  everything  else.  When  I  had  run  my  eye 
hastily  over  it,  devouring  the  contents  as  a  horse  devoureth  the  ground, 
with  his  swiftness,  I  lifted  up  my  heart,  with  a  long,  long  sigh,  in 
thankfulness  for  your  welfare,  and  then  put  it  away,  to  be  read  again 
in  the  quietness  of  my  own  cliamber. 

"The  Assembly  adjourned  very  late  last  night,  after  hurrying 
through  a  great  deal  of  work  for  a  day  or  two.  Dr.  McFarland  deliv- 
ered a  very  appropriate  and  feeling  valedictory,  and  one  of  his  best 
prayers.    We  then  sung  the  hymn, — 

"  'Come,  Christian  brethren,  e'er  we  part,' — 
to  the  Old  Hundredth  (making,  to  my  ear,  better  music  than  all  the 
organs  in  the  world),  with  the  doxology,  and  separated.  It  was  the 
most  solemn  moment  of  the  sessions.  Many  of  the  members  left  this 
morning.  I  have  spent  to-day  in  shopping  and  sight-seeing.  But  there 
is  a  drawback  on  all  my  pleasure:  you  are  not  with  me  to  share  it. 
Sometimes  I  think  that  if  you  could  not  come  consistently  with  duty 
(as  I  know  you  could  not),  I  ought  not  to  have  consented  to  come 
and  see  or  enjoy  anything  without  you.  and  that  it  is  selfish  to  do  so. 
But  I  know  your  love  will  not  judge  thus.  I  see  a  great  many  things 
which  are  extremely  interesting;  but  I  am  not  happy,  except  for  a  few 
minutes  when  I  forget  myself.  My  soul  goes  hankering  after  my  Binney 
and  Charley. 

"This  morning  Mr.  King  took  us  in  and  through  the  custom-house, 
a  most  massive  marble  building;  the  Merchants'  Exchange;  the  church 
and  steeple  of  Trinity,  whence  we  had  a  most  noble  view.  I  went 
then  with  Betty  into  the  Dusseldorf  Gallery  of  pictures,  a  collection 
of  the  works  of  a  certain  company  of  German  artists,  celebrated  for 
brilliant  and  tender  coloring;  but,  above  all,  to  see  a  glorious,  inex- 
pressible picture,  which  is  now  exhibited  free  at  a  store,  Maria  Antoi- 
nette coming  out  of  court  after  she  had  been  condemned  to  death  by 
the  revolutionists  in  France.  No  words  can  describe  it.  It  was  painted 
by  a  celebrated  French  painter,  De  La  Roche,  and  belongs  to  a  German 
prince — Von  something  or  other.  The  way  it  comes  here  is  curious, 
and  will  illustrate  the  way  many  such  things  are  done  in  New  York. 
Some  of  these  New  York  merchants  have  hired  the  picture  (hardly 
any  money  could  buy  it),  and  brought  it  to  America  for  a  while.  They 
will  have  a  large  engraved  copy  made  of  it,  and  advertise  that  the 
picture  itself  may  be  seen  at  a  certain  store,  free  of  charge.  Their  ideas 
are  that  they  will  get  subscribers  to  the  engraving  which  is  to  be  made, 
and  which  they  sell  at  from  ten  dollars  to  twenty  dollars  for  a  single 


1 66        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

sheet.  I  bought  a  handsome  copy  of  Jay's  Morning  and  Evening  Exer- 
cises for  you,  the  bonnet,  the  hat  for  Charley,  as  exactly  like  your 
directions  as  possible,  and  as  fine  as  a  fiddle.  I  have  a  most  noble 
copy  of  the  Book  of  Psalms,  which  the  American  Bible  Society  has 
presented  to  you,  with  each  letter  nearly  as  big  as  your  little  finger- 
nail. The  rest  we  will  arrange  hereafter.  Did  I  not  write  you  night 
before  last  about  the  party  I  was  invited  to  at  Mr.  Jeffray's?  I  fixed 
up  as  smart  as  I  could,  and  went  about  half  after  ten.  (Pretty  hours, 
you  will  say,  for  a  parson.)  I  did  not  see  that  it  was  any  better  than 
what  I  have  often  seen  in  old  Virginia.  I  send  you  herewith  the  invita- 
tion.   The  lady  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Phillips. 

"Saturday,  the  day  your  letter  was  written,  I  was  by  no  means  pent 
up  in  brick  walls,  but  making  our  notable  steamboat  excursion  on 
New  York  bay.  I  send  you  a  copy  of  the  New  York  Observer,  con- 
taining an  account  of  it,  very  much  exaggerated.  To-morrow  morn- 
ing we  start  for  Niagara.  I  did  not  conclude  to  go  till  I  got  your 
letter  this  morning,  when,  finding  that  you  were  all  well,  and  that  you 
were  willing  for  me  to  go,  and  that  my  sisters  were  anxious  to  go,  I 
concluded  to  venture.  I  do  not  know  that  v\e  shall  ever  have  a  better 
chance;  and  everybody  who  can  should  see  that  great  work  of  the 
Creator  once.  Besides,  I  have  worked  hard,  and  made  several  hundred 
dollars  extra  this  last  year,  and  I  feel  like  indulging  myself,  and  my 
better  self,  my  Binney,  was  not  unreasonable.  Hold  yourself  in  readi- 
ness, when  we  return,  for  a  trip  to  Old  Point.  The  sea-bathing  is  the 
very  thing  for  you.  If  you  get  that  money  from  Walker,  and  take 
tolerable  care  of  it,  we  shall  have  enough  left  to  make  it  out  very  well. 
A  fortnight  there  would  cost  us  about  fifty  dollars,  and  I  think  it 
would  do  you  a  great  deal  of  good. 

"I  cannot  say  exactly  when  we  will  be  able  to  return.  We  will  get 
to  Niagara,  we  hope,  Saturday  evening,  and  it  is  possible  we  may 
return  to  New  York  by  the  Erie  railroad  Monday  night.  If  we  do, 
we  shall  leave  here  Tuesday,  and  go  to  Princeton,  N.  J.,  where  I  want 
to  spend  a  few  hours.    Then  we  will  take  the  road  for  home. 

"I  hope  you  have  at  last  gotten  off  to  Louisa.  I  should  have  enjoyed 
my  visit  here  a  great  deal  more  if  I  could  have  known  that  you  were 
in  dear,  good  mamma's  society.  I  will  send  this  to  Thompson's 
X-Roads.  Now,  I  bid  you  good-night,  with  a  thousand  kisses.  May 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  encamp  round  about  you  this  night. 

"Your  Own  Husband." 

Dr.  Dabney  made  a  second  trip  to  New  York  in  1858.  Tlie 
occasion  of  this  journey  was  to  preach  for  the  Board  of  Foreig^n 
Missions,  on  Sabbath  evening,  the  2nd  of  May.  Early  in  the 
year  he  had  been  requested,  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
board  to  preach  this  sermon.  He  anticipated  a  large  and  select 
audience.     He  was  equal  to  the  occasion.     Taking  for  his  text 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     167" 

John  iv.  35.  "Behold.  I  say  unto  you,  Hft  up  your  eyes  and  look 
on  the  fields;  for  they  are  white  already  to  the  harvest,"  he 
put  his  subject  into  the  form  of  a  predication  followed  by  an 
injunction :  The  World  White  to  the  Harvest;  Reap,  or  it  Per- 
ishes. The  sermon  was  at  once  popular,  profound  and  power- 
ful; he  believed  that  "the  same  vast,  old,  familiar  truths,  which 
made  Paul,  Peter,  Jesus  Christ,  missionaries,  viz.,  that  the  whole 
human  race  are  children  of  wrath,  and  in  the  highway  to  ever- 
lasting ruin,''  and  that  we  know  of  the  one  way  of  salvation, 
must  move  our  missionary  efforts  also.  Dr.  John  A.  Broadus, 
the  late  prince  amongst  our  Baptist  brethren,  pronounced  this 
sermon  to  be  "one  of  the  most  powerful  sermons  with  which 
he  was  acquainted.^ 

While  undergoing  all  these  labors.  Dr.  Dabney  had  experi- 
enced a  chequered  home  life.  He  had,  indeed,  a  pleasant  home. 
Though  he  spent  the  first  years  of  his  residence  at  the  Seminary 
in  the  eastern  end  of  the  main  building,  he  removed  to  the  new 
residence,  whose  construction  he  had  superintended,  as  soon  as 
it  was  completed,  and  thenceforth  commanded  a  picturesque 
and  attractive  house,  with  ample  premises.  He  was  also  blessed 
with  a  wife  of  marked  faithfulness  and  devotion,  whom  he  loved 
fervidly,  and  who  loved  him  "better  than  her  own  life."  She 
bore  him  other  children,  too — Charles  William,  on  the  19th  of 
June,  1855,  while  they  were  still  residing  in  the  residence  por- 
tion of  the  main  building;  Thomas  Price,  on  the  5th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1857;  Samuel  Brown,  on  the  8th  of  June,  1859,  and 
Louis  Meriweather,  on  the  nth  of  August,  1865.  The  last 
three  sons  were  born  in  the  new  residence.  Dr.  Dabney's  love 
for  his  children  was  strong,  like  all  his  affections ;  but  the  Lord 
not  only  gave  him  these  little  ones  to  love,  he  took  from  him  his 
two  first-born,  in  the  year  that  Charles  William  came,  and  in 

*  This  sermon  appears  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Discussions.  Dr. 
Dabney  was  entertained,  while  in  New  York  on  this  occasion,  in  the 
home  of  Dr.  J.  Leighton  Wilson,  a  circumstance  which  did  much  to 
heighten  the  warm  friendship  which  was  growing  up  between  the  great 
secretary  and  the  young  professor.  Dr.  Dabney  came  to  have,  as  will 
appear,  a  vast  respect,  as  well  as  vast  affection,  for  Dr.  Wilson.  It  is 
said  that  Dr.  Dabney  and  Dr.  Peck  had,  a  few  years  later,  so  much 
respect  for  Dr.  Wilson,  that  when  he  visited  the  Seminary  periodically, 
their  manner  of  speaking  of  him  to  the  students,  even  when  their  words 
were  few,  filled  the  student  body  with  huge  respect  for  Dr.  Wilson 
and  his  cause,  and  gave  great  impetus  to  the  missionary  cause. 


i68        Life  and  Lkttrrs  of  Rop.fj^t  Lewis  Dakxev. 

1862  the  fourth  son  was  also  taken  away.  Two  out  of  the  three 
he  looked  upon  as  his  very  brightest  children.  In  these  bereave- 
ments, he  suffered  as  only  a  very  strong  man,  a  man  of  persist- 
ence and  intensity  of  character  equally  marked,  could  suffer. 
They  were  all  carried  off"  by  diphtheria,  and  the  awful  sufferings 
incident  to  the  disease  made  the  stroke  all  the  harder  for  the 
parents.  The  following  letters  set  forth  the  affliction,  as  he  saw 
it  and  felt  it ;  and  they  also  serve  to  indicate,  possibly,  a  part 
of  the  divine  purpose  in  the  chastisement : 

r-i    JTT    T^  1  7-  '^ November  i;,  i8si. 

Ch.  TV.  Dabncy,  Esq.  -^       ■'-' 

"Mv  Dear  Brother:  Your  letter  was  received  yesterday,  and  found 
us  in  great  sorrow.  I  was  very  grateful  for  the  cheerful  kindness  and 
affection  breathing  from  it ;  and  could  not  but  think  how  sympathizing 
your  language  would  have  been,  if  you  had  known  at  the  time  the  sorrows 
ful  circumstances  in  which  it  would  find  us.  Last  Monday,  a  little  after 
12  o'clock,  our  little  Jimmy  was  taken  from  us  by  that  fearful  enemy  of 
the  young,  putrid  sore  throat.  Just  a  fortnight  before.  Bob  had  been 
taken,  at  first  not  very  violently;  but  afterwards  he  was  for  two  days 
and  nights  at  death's  door.  When  he  was  taken,  I  was  about  to  start 
to  the  Synod  of  North  Carolina,  at  Greensboro,  about  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles  off.  I  hesitated  a  good  deal  about  starting,  but  Lavinia 
thought  I  might  venture.  From  the  time  I  left,  Bobby  grew  rapidly 
worse ;  and  Sunday  evening  I  got  a  letter  and  telegram,  telling  me 
that  he  was  extremely  ill.  His  attack  had  developed  itself  as  putrid 
sore  throat,  and  threatened  suffocation.  I  started  that  night,  travelled 
all  night,  and  reached  home  the  next  night  about  8  p.  m.  Bobby  was 
greatly  relieved,  but  exceedingly  feeble,  having  had  a  terrific  attack. 
Now  he  is  feeble,  and  threatened  with  a  rising  on  the  neck.  The  rest 
seemed  well,  but  the  next  evening  (last  Tuesday  week)  we  discovered 
that  Jimmy  was  chilly  and  feverish,  and,  in  short,  had  the  sore  throat. 
We  used  prompt  measures,  and  sent  early  for  the  doctor,  who  did 
not  think  his  case  dangerous ;  but  he  grew  gradually  worse  until  Sun- 
day, when  his  symptoms  became  alarming,  and  he  passed  away,  after 
great  sufferings,  Monday.  He  was  intelligent  to  the  last,  even  after 
he  became  speechless,  and  his  appealing  looks  to  us  and  the  physician 
would  have  melted  a  stone.  Some  half  hour  before  he  died,  he  sank 
into  a  sleep,  which  became  more  and  more  quiet,  until  he  gently  sighed 
his  soul  away.  This,  my  dear  brother,  is  the  first  death  we  have  had 
in  our  family,  and  my  first  experience  of  any  great  sorrow.  I  have 
learned  rapidly  in  the  school  of  anguish  this  week,  and  am  many  years 
older  than  I  was  a  few  days  ago.  It  is  not  so  much  that  I  could  not 
give  rny  darling  up,  so  far  as  self  was  concerned,  but  that  I  saw  him 
suffer  such  pangs,  and  then  fall  under  the  grasp  of  the  cruel  destroyer, 
while   I   was   impotent   for  his  help.     .\h  !     wlien  the   mighty   wings  of 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     169 

the  angel  of  death  nestles  over  your  heart's  treasures,  and  his  black, 
noisome  shadow  broods  over  your  home,  it  shakes  the  heart  with  a 
shuddering  terror  and  a  horror  of  great  darkness.  To  see  my  dear 
little  one  thus  ravaged,  crushed  and  destroyed,  turning  his  beautiful 
liquid  eyes  to  me  and  his  weeping  mother  for  help,  after  his  gentle 
voice  was  obstructed,  and  to  feel  myself  as  helpless  as  he  to  give  any 
aid—this  tears  my  heart  with  anguish.  And,  then,  I  remember  that 
this  death  reigns  over  all  else  that  I  love — over  wife,  remaining  chil- 
dren, friends,  and  my  own  body — and  may  seize  them.  I  know  not  when. 
How  fearful  is  it  to  live  and  love  in  such  a  world!  How  awful  that 
sin  of  which  death  is  the  wages !  Such  are  the  feelings  with  which 
the  natural  heart  regards  these  calamities ;  but,  blessed  be  God,  to 
Christian  faith  they  wear  a  different  aspect.  Death  is  no  longer  a  hellish 
monster  and  tyrant,  but  Christ's  messenger.  Our  parting  is  not  for 
long.  This  despoiled  and  ruined  body  will  be  raised,  and  all  its  rav- 
ished beauties  more  than  repaired.  And  as  to  the  other  beloved  ones 
whom  I  see  exposed  to  disease  and  death,  I  know  that  death  cannot 
touch  them,  unless  that  Heavenly  Father  who  orders  everything  for 
me  in  love  and  wisdom,  sees  it  best.  So  that  I  can  trust  them,  though 
tremblingly,  to  his  keeping,  and  be  at  peace.  Our  little  Jimmy,  we  hope 
and  trust,  is  now  a  ransomed  spirit.  He  had  not  reached  such  years 
of  understanding  as  to  be  able  to  express  an  intelligent  faith;  and  in 
such  cases  I  believe  the  souls  of  the  young  are  redeemed  in  the  second 
Adam  without  their  personal  agency,  even  as  they  inherited  their  sinful 
and  mortal  state  from  the  first.  This  is  a  hope  inexpressible  and  full 
of  glory.  As  I  stand  by  the  little  grave,  and  think  of  the  poor  ruined 
clay  within,  that  was  a  few  days  ago  so  beautiful,  my  heart  bleeds. 
But  as  I  ask,  Where  is  the  soul  whose  beams  gave  that  clay  all  its 
beauty  and  preciousness?  I  triumph.  Has  it  not  already  begun,  with 
an  infant  voice,  the  praises  of  my  Saviour?  Perhaps  some  loving  angel, 
one  of  those  that  assisted  to  release  and  bear  home  the  spirit  (nurse 
purer  and  tenderer  than  his  dear  mother,  even),  has  been  deputed  to 
teach  it  and  train  it  to  heavenly  manhood.  Perhaps  it  has  been  com- 
mitted to  our  sainted  father,  or  to  my  wife's  sainted  grandmother,  as 
one  of  their  redeemed  posterity,  to  keep  and  train  till  we  can  embrace 
him  again.  At  any  rate,  it  is  in  Christ's  heavenly  house  and  under  his 
guardian  love.  Now  I  feel,  as  never  before,  the  blessedness  of  that 
redeeming  grace  and  divine  blood,  which  have  ransomed  my  poor 
babe  from  all  the  sin  and  death  which  he  inherited  through  me.'' 

*  Those  who  are  concerned  to  do  so  .nay  find  Dr.  Dabney's  most 
careful  teaching  concerning  the  salvation  of  infants  dying  in  infancy, 
in  his  Discussions.  Vol.  HI.,  pp.  188  to  194.  In  this  passage  Dr.  Dabney 
sets  forth,  as  usual,  his  belief,  or  hope,  that  all  infants  dying  in  infancy 
are  saved  ;  but  vindicates  the  present  phraseology  of  our  Confession  of 
Faith   (Chap.  X.,  §  3)  ;  and  to  the  question,  "Why,  then,  did  not  the 


I/O        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"Dr.  Sampson  used  to  say  that  while  he  trembled  with  almost  daily 
solicitude  for  his  father's  soul,  respect,  and  the  fear  of  seeming  insolent, 
interposed  an  almost  insuperable  barrier  to  his  saying  anything  to  pro- 
mote his  salvation.  I  have  felt  just  the  same  solicitude,  and  the  same 
diffidence  towards  you,  my  senior,  guardian,  second  father  and  faithful 
guide,  whom  I  feel  to  be  as  superior  to  me  in  all  merely  human  virtues 
as  in  age.  But  coming  from  this  awful,  agonizing  death-bed  of  my 
boy,  from  this  verge  of  the  eternal  world,  I  feel  that  my  tongue  is 
untied.  I  can  speak;  I  will  speak  now;  not  as  an  instructor  or  rebuker, 
taking  the  attitude  of  superior  wisdom  or  merit,  but  as  a  soul  once 
sin-sick  and  miserable,  pointing  a  beloved  brother-sinner  to  the  Divine 
Physician  whom  I  have  found.  My  dear  brother,  you  know  that  '"except 
a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God" ;  that  without 
faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  repentance  towards  God,  no  sin 
can  be  pardoned ;  and  the  wages  of  sin  is  eternal  death.  Have  you 
sought  and  found  these  preparations?  You  say  that  time  hurries  away 
with  impetuous  speed,  and  there  is  leisure  for  less  and  less,  as  you 
grow  older.  How  short  a  span  is  a  year  now?  A  few  more  of  these 
fleeting  moments  will  bring  you  to  an  awful  eternity.  You  are  no 
longer  young.  Secular  occupations  and  cares  have  a  giant  hold  on 
your  affections,  habits  and  thoughts.  You  should  tremble  also  to  think 
how  seldom,  and  how  irregularly  you  are  brought  under  the  influence 
of  the  faithful,  scriptural  and  fervent  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  under 
the  blessed  teachings  of  Sabbath  institutions.  You  feel  and  confess 
that  you  are  not  at  ease  nor  interested  in  your  avocations.  It  is  because 
your  better  self  tells  you  that  they  are  too  trivial  to  deserve  the  toils 
and  cares  of  an  immortal  being  who  has  the  cares  of  an  immortality 
unsettled.  I  beseech  you,  begin  to  search  the  Scriptures,  to  think  of 
3'our  danger,  to  remember  the  immortal  interests  of  your  beloved  wife, 
my  sister,  and.  your  three  children,  to  weigh  your  danger  and  settle 
the  question,  'What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?'  In  the  appendix  to 
the  little  memoirs  which  I  sent  you,  you  will  find  a  sermon  answering 
this  vast  question.  I  sent  you  the  book,  partly  as  a  testimonial  of  my 
perpetual  love  and  remembrance,  but  more  that  you  might  read  this 
sermon.  It  is  not  grandiloquent  nor  original,  but  it  is  an  admirably 
satisfying,  simple  and  luminous  statement  of  what  salvation  is.  Every 
sentence  is  full  of  solid  instruction.  Will  you  read  it  for  my  sake,  with 
such  careful  pondering  of  its  statements  as  you  would  give  to  an  im- 

Confession  speak  out  plainly  and  say  whether  it  supposed  there  was 
any  soul,  not  elect,  which  ever  died  in  infancy?'  he  answered,  'Be- 
cause on  that  question  the  Bible  has  not  spoken  clearly.'  "  He  adds  : 
"Herein  is  the  admirable  wisdom  and  modesty  of  the  Westminster 
Assembly,  that  however  great  the  temptation,  they  would  not  go  beyond 
the  clear  teaching  of  revelation.  Where  God  is  silent  they  lay  their 
hands  upon  their  mouths." 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     171 

portant  law  paper?    and  then  let  me  know  your  answer  to  the  question. 
'What  think  ye  of  Christ?' 

"Do  not  suppose,  my  dear  brother,  that  these  words  are  the  tem- 
porary effusions  of  a  grief  and  alarm  excited  by  the  watchings  of  the 
sick-room,  and  the  terrors  of  a  death-bed ;  the  mere  morbid  feelings  of 
an  overwrought  soul,  which  will  be  forgotten  as  soon  as  the  steady 
sunshine  returns  to  my  household.  They  are  my  habitual  feelings. 
They  are  just  the  words  I  have  ahvays  longed  to  speak,  but  feared  lest 
I  should  offend.  Oftentimes  when  we  have  been  together,  just  such 
words  have  been  in  my  heart.  I  have  seemed  to  be  interested  in  our 
talk  while  it  was  all  of  the  earth,  in  order  that  I  might  find  a  loophole 
in  which  to  introduce  the  great  concern  without  rudeness.  I  have 
essayed  to  introduce  it  again  and  again,  and  shrunk,  and  postponed  it, 
Avith  a  weak,  and  no  doubt  a  sinful  fear.  A  thousand  times  have  I 
prayed  for  you  and  yours  in  secret,  when  all  was  in  customary  peace 
and  prosperity,  and  besought  the  Lord  that  he  would  turn  your  feet  to 
his  testimonies,  and  make  our  father's  God  your  God.  Now,  I  beseech 
you  to  consider  whether  you  have  any  time  to  lose.  My  dear  sister 
is  inclined,  I  know  to  serious  things,  and  is  hampered  and  letarded  by 
your  influences.  Your  children  are  losing  the  fairest  time  for  good 
impressions ;  and,  above  all,  uncertain,  terrible  death  is  advancing  on 
us  all. 

"My  dear  wife  is  in  bed,  partly  from  her  herculean  labors  and 
anxieties,  partly  from  a  mild  attack  of  the  same  disease,  which  seems 
to  be  contagious  here.  Bobby  is  still  on  his  back.  Our  little  Charley 
Willy  seems  well ;  but  we  tremble  every  day  lest  he  should  draw  in  the 
infection  with  the  very  milk  which  is  his  necessary  food.  God  only 
knows  what  is  in  store  for  us.  But  we  strive  to  be  patient  and  trust 
in  God.    All  things  shall  work  together  for  good  to  those  that  love  God. 

"Lavinia  sends  her  dearest  love  to  you  and  sister  Cordelia.  Re- 
member me  to  the  boys. 

"Yours  affectionatel}', 

"R.    L.    D.\BNEY." 

"December  12,  1855. 
"My  Dear  Brother  :  I  am  mdebted  to  j'ou  two  letters  for  the  tender 
and  generous  sympathy  of  which  I  can  never  be  thankful  enough  to  you. 
But  I  do  not  know  whether  I  should  have  found  heart  to  answer  them 
now,  were  it  not  that  your  kind  invitation  is  of  such  a  nature  as  to 
demand  some  response.  I  can  assure  j'ou  that  there  is  nothing  within 
the  range  of  possibilities  for  which  my  heart  yearns  so  much  as  the 
visit  you  propose.  Whether  it  would  diminish  my  depression  and  sad- 
ness I  cannot  be  so  certain,  for  everything  at  your  house  and  mamma's 
would  remind  me  of  those  beloved  little  ones  who  were  with  us  when 
we  were  there  last.  But  it  is  out  of  the  question  now.  My  absence 
from  home   (ill-starred),  my  afflictions  and  sickness,  have  thrown  my 


1/2        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dacxev. 

classes  very  much  behindhand.  Our  session  is  in  full  progress,  and 
if  I  am  ever  to  work,  now  is  the  time  when  work  calls  me  most  urgently. 
I  feel  that  after  having  received  such  warnings  of  sin  and  death,  and 
being  brought  so  near  to  eternity,  it  is  no  time  for  me  to  be  remiss 
in  duty  or  self-indulgent  in  the  employment  of  my  time.  Bobby  left 
us  Wednesday  night  at  12  o'clock.  We  buried  the  poor  ruined  and 
despoiled  remains  Friday.  The  next  day  I  went  to  work,  in  my  sick 
room,  and  the  next  week  regularly  resumed  my  lectures.  It  required 
no  effort  for  me  to  do  so.  Work  has  long  been  a  second  nature  to  me, 
and  the  only  consolation  I  have  now  is  in  the  attempt  to  do  my  duty. 

"It  is  painful  to  me  to  write  to  my  friends  now,  delightful  as  it  is  to 
receive  their  communications.  I  cannot  speak  of  anything  except  that 
which  fills  my  mind  every  waking  hour,  except  when  I  drag  it  away  to 
my  daily  occupations,  my  two  boys  gone  from  me ;  and  yet  it  is  painful 
to  speak  of  them,  too.  When  my  Jimmy  died,  grief  was  pungent,  but 
the  actings  of  faith,  the  embracing  of  consolation,  the  conception  of  all 
the  clieering  truths  which  ministered  consolation  were  proportionably 
vivid ;  but  when  the  stroke  was  repeated,  and  thereby  doubled,  I  seem 
to  be  paralyzed  and  stunned.  I  know  that  my  loss  is  doubled,  and  I 
know  also  that  the  same  cheering  truths  apply  to  the  second  as  to  the 
first,  but  I  remain  stupid,  downcast,  almost  without  hope  and  interest. 
When  I  turned  away  from  Jimmy's  corpse  to  my  lovely  infant,  my 
affections  and  my  fears  seemed  both  to  flow  out  towards  him  with  a 
strength  delicious  and  agonizing.  I  never  tired  of  folding  him  in  my 
arms,  as  the  sweet  substitute  for  my  loss,  nor  of  trembling  for  him  also, 
lest  the  loss  should  extend  to  him.  But  when  Bobby  was  taken,  and 
our  little  one  remained  our  only  hope,  it  seemed  to  me,  I  was  both  afraid 
and  reluctant  to  centre  my  affections  on  him.  I  feel  towards  him  a 
mixture  of  languor  and  pain,  not  having  the  heart  to  be  happy  in  his 
caresses,  and  not  daring.  This  is  strange,  perhaps  inexplicable.  Death 
has  struck  me  with  a  dagger  of  ice.  He  has  not  only  wounded,  but 
benumbed.  I  believe  that  Jimmy  was  too  young  to  be  responsible,  and 
that  as  such,  though  by  nature  depraved,  he  is  saved,  renewed  and 
glorified  by  the  grace  of  God;  and  Bobby,  if  not  also  too  young  to  be 
responsible,  which  is  most  probable,  showed  such  sweet  and  striking 
evidences  of  ripening  for  heaven,  that  I  cannot  believe  he  is  anywhere 
else.  Yet  believing  this  as  I  do  firmly,  I  hardly  have  life  to  rejoice 
in  it. 

"But  thanks  to  God,  I  am  not  moping  nor  murmuring.  If  I  could 
see  the  blows  blessed  to  myself,  my  kindred  and  my  friends.  I  should 
in  time  be  able  to  bless  God  for  it ;  and  this  is  my  constant  prayer.  I 
needed  just  such  warnings,  to  make  me  more  faithful  in  striving  to  do 
good  to  my  friends.  Would  to  God  that  I  could  be  a  blessing  to  you. 
This  alone  would  almost  be  consolation  enough  for  my  losses. 

"Lavinia  is  well  in  body,  and  usually,  entirely  calm,  but  deeply  sad. 
She  expresses  fervent  thanks  for  j'our  affection,  and  sends  her  best  love. 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     173 

Her  parents  are  here  for  a  short  time,  but  not,  I  think,  to  her  solace. 

Mr.  M is  exceedingly  broke,  depressed  and  feeble,  and  is  on  his 

way  with  Mrs.  M to  the  South,  on  an  almost  hopeless  search  for 

health.     His  pecuniary  affairs  deranged,  and  his  children  scattered,   I 

think  his  presence  rather  saddens  Lavinia.     With  love  to  Sister  C 

and  the  little  ones,  Yours  aff.,  R.  L.  D. 

One  who  was  a  student  at  this  time  writes : 

"Among  the  most  gloom-giving  days  to  me  that  occurred  during  my 
seminary  course,  were  the  ones  when  his  children.  James  and  Robert, 
died  and  were  buried.  To  me,  personally,  those  were  'rare  and  radiant' 
little  boys,  and  they  had  a  very  warm  place  in  my  heart.  There  was  but 
a  brief  interval  between  their  funerals.  In  the  many  burial  scenes  I 
have  witnessed,  your  father  was  about  the  only  heart-broken  mourner, 
without  visible  tears,  that  I  have  ever  seen.  Before  that,  I  had  never 
realized  the  deep  and  well-nigh  unearthly  significance  of  a  sorrow  too 
deep  for  tears.  At  the  burial  of  Robert,  there  was  something  in  his 
features  so  pallid  and  deathly,  as  he  took  a  parting  look  at  his  dead 
first-born  child,  that  some  of  us  had  our  forebodings  that  he  was  not 
long  to  survive  the  ordeal. 

"In  a  little  while,  however,  for  the  good  of  us  all,  he  emerged  from 
the  gloom  of  this  afflictive  dispensation,  and  resumed  his  duties  with 
quickened  zeal  and  impressive  unction.  In  his  prayers,  thereafter,  in 
class-room  and  chapel,  his  pupils  felt  and  saw.  what  is  to  be  but  rarely 
seen,  how  one  of  the  most  imperial  of  human  wills  may  humbly  bow, 
pass  under  the  rod,  and  caress  with  filial  affection,  the  fatherly  hand 
that  chastises.  In  these  prayers,  he  repeated,  with  notable  frequency 
and  characteristic  unction,  words  like  these,  as  if  he  had  newly  awakened 
to  their  import,  and  was  desirous  that  we  all,  gathered  about  him  as 
learners,  should  realize  ,their  consoling  influence,  and  be  prepared  to 
comfort  others  with  the  comfort  wherewith  he  himself  was  comforted, 
in  the  supreme  sorrow  of  his  eventful  life : 

"  "May  we  not  despise  thy  chastening.  O  Lord,  nor  faint  whenever 
we  are  rebuked  by  thee.' 

"  'Ever  help  us  to  realize  that  while  no  chastening  for  the  present  is 
joyous,  but  grievous,  yet  nevertheless  afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peaceable 
fruits  of  righteousness  unto  them  that  are  exercised  thereby.' 

"  'May  it  never  be  with  us,  as  it  is  when  a  hungry  man  dreameth 
and  behold,  he  eateth ;  but  he  awaketh.  and  his  soul  is  empty;  or  as 
when  a  thirsty  man  dreameth,  and  behold,  he  drinketh  ;  but  he  awaketh, 
and  behold,  he  is  faint  and  his  soul  hath  appetite.' 

"Dr.  Dabney's  sermons,  too,  were  in  a  different  vein  thereafter,  so 
long  as  I  had  the  privilege  of  hearing  them.  Previously,  much  of  his 
preaching  was  not  such  as  I  had  expected  from  an  ambassador  so 
eminent,  beseeching  men  in  Christ's  stead  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  or 


174        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord  would  persuade  men,  for  the  tenor  of 
his  preaching  savored  very  much  of  the  minatory  type  or  ring.  He 
never  seemed  more  at  home  in  the  college  pulpit  than  when  revealing, 
by  anticipation,  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  from  heaven,  with  his 
mighty  angels,  in  flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not 
God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  who  shall 
be  punished  with  everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  from  the  glory  of  his  power,  when  he  shall  come  to  be  glorified  in 
his  saints,  and  to  be  admired  of  all  them  that  believe  in  that  day. 

"At  such  times  he  seemed  defiant,  and  would  warn  men  at  their  peril 
to  make  their  peace  with  God. 

"I  remember  vividly  how  impressed  I  was  with  the  change  in  ques- 
tion, by  his  comments  on  one  of  the  first  hymns  he  had  us  sing  at  the 
first  preaching  service  he  conducted  in  the  Seminary  Chapel  after  his 
sad  bereavement,  beginning,  'Come  humble  sinner  in  whose  breast.' 
The  emphasis  he  laid  upon  the  word  'perhaps'  caused  my  nerves  to 
tingle  as  he  recited  these  stanzas : 

"  '  All  to  the  gracious  King  approach. 
Whose  sceptre  pardon  gives ; 
Perhaps  he  may  commend  my  touch, 
And  then  the  suppliant  lives. 

"  '  Perhaps  he  will  admit  my  plea, 
Perhaps  will  hear  my  prayer ; 
But  if  I  perish,  I  will  pray, 
And  perish  only  there.' 

"He  looked  as  if  this  word  'perhaps'  was  suggestive  to  him  of  a  verj' 
realistic  apprehension  of  the  ever-present  power  of  the  serpentine, 
Satanic  accuser  of  Christ  and  his  would-be  brethren.  The  preacher 
turned  partly  around,  he  fixed  a  piercing  downward  gaze,  his  eyes 
flashing  with  indignant,  fiery  emotion,  his  heavy  right  heel  smiting  the 
floor  with  rapid,  startling  stampings,  he,  in  the  meanwhile,  exclaim- 
ing, with  an  intonation  that  of  all  the  speakers  I  have  ever  heard, 
only  Dr.  Dabney  could  voice :  'There  is  no  perhaps  about  it.  It  is  a  libel 
on  the  promises,  which  are  yea  and  amen  in  Christ  Jesus.  There  is  no 
perhaps  about  it,  for  the  gracious  King  will  admit  the  humble  sinner's 
plea,  and  will  hear  his  prayer.    There  is  no  perhaps  about  it.'  " 

Few  men  can  have  had  more  of  syiiipathy  .shown  them  in 
times  of  trial.  Many  of  his  friends  understood  him,  and  knew 
and  felt  for  him  and  Mrs.  Dabney  in  their  awful  suffering. 
There  are  amongst  his  papers  a  score  and  more  of  letters  of 
condolence  and  sympathy  sent  him  on  this  occasion.  Amongst 
the  writers   were  William   S.   White,  William  Henrv   Foote, 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     175 

Moses  Drury  Hoge,  John  H.  Bocock,  C.  R.  Vaughan,  William 
T.  Richardson,  many  of  his  faithful  friends  at  Tinkling  Spring, 
(^f  his  old  class-mates,  his  kinspeople,  etc. 

Not  because  they  are  more  affectionate  in  tone  than  the 
others,  but  because  they  come  from  one  who  understood  Dr. 
Dabney's  feelings  better,  perhaps,  than  any  of  his  contempo- 
raries, these  two  letters  from  Mr.  Vaughan,  of  Lynchburg,  may 
l)e  read,  viz. : 

"Lynchburg,  November  20,  1855. 

"My  Dear  Dabney  :  It  gave  me  great  pain,  as  I  went  down  to 
Richmond  last  week,  to  learn  that  your  noble  boy  Jimmy  had  been 
taken  away  from  you.  At  this,  the  earliest  practicable  moment  for 
writing,  I  sit  down  to  tell  you  and  your  dear  wife  that  your  sorrow 
is  not  unfelt  by  your  friends.  My  heart  goes  out  most  earnestly 
towards  you.  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  see  a  spirit  so  affectionate  and  so 
vehement  as  youT;s  brought  into  this  sensible  contact  with  some  of  the 
griefs  of  this,  our  mysterious  and  awful  life.  The  griefs  of  life!  Gra- 
cious Heaven!  what  stupid  sentiment— what  heartless  rhetoric— what 
feasts  for  vanity  and  pride  are  made  over  them !  Yet  how  keen  and 
bitter  they  are.  My  poor,  dear  friend,  when  they  are  on  us  after  a 
real  fashion— when  the  stroke  comes  so  suddenly  and  so  sternly  as 
almost  to  take  away  our  breath,  and  leaves  us  partly  amazed  in  the 
deep  infinite  contrast  between  the  sensations  of  one  week  or  one  day 
and  the  sensations  of  the  next — I  know  something  of  this,  although 
only  at  intervals  of  time  am  I  able  to  see  it.  You  have  been  looking 
with  a  confounded  sense — hardly  able  to  believe,  then  too  bitterly  con- 
vinced of  the  terrible  fact— into  the  dead  face  of  your  son.  I  have  been 
looking  at  times— for  generally  I  am  very  stupid  about  it— into  what 
seems  to  be  my  own  last  resting-place.  It  is  a  fearful  thing.  Dabney. 
to  feel  as  I  do  sometimes,  that  I  am  actually  stricken  with  a  mortai 
disease!  It  must  be  a  fearful  thing  to  gaze  on  the  evacuated  counte- 
nance and  noble  form  of  a  child,  so  dear  to  poor  human  nature  as 
they  are !  I  have  tried  to  conceive  how  I  could  feel  if  one  of  mine  were 
<lead,  that  I  might  be  prepared  to  sympathize  truly  with  you ;  but  the 
conception,  feeble  as  it  must  be  by  the  side  of  the  fact,  is  painful  beyond 
thought  or  expression. 

"Now,  just  think  that  sorrows  like  yours  and  sorrows  like  mine, 
often  far  worse,  are  the  common  lot  of  man;  that  all  must  come  to  it, 
and  millions  without  the  support  and  consolations  which  I  trust  that 
God  has  given  to  both  of  us !  What  a  world !  It  looks  Hke  the  ante- 
chamber of  hell,  under  certain  of  its  aspects!  How  can  any  man  of 
ordinary  sense  grasp  the  obvious  facts  of  human  life  and  combine  them 
together,  and  look  at  them  as  a  whole,  conceive  them  justly,  and  yet 
question  whether  the  world  is  under  a  curse  or  not!  But  there  is 
consolation   in   the   gospel,    rich,    sustaining,   sufficient.     It   is   a   grand 


176        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney, 

and  awful,  yet  glorious,  phase  of  consciousness,  to  feel  the  power  of 
those  precious  truths  triumphing  over  a  real  sense  of  the  woe  of  life, 
the  blended  masses  of  cloud  and  sunlight  struggling  until  the  spreading 
radiance  is  the  victor.  May  your  consolations  be  as  vivid  as  your  grief, 
and  your  solid  profit  in  the  sanctification  of  your  nature  l)e  richer  than 
both.  It  is  a  phase  of  life  through  which  j'ou  have  passed.  I  have  not. 
It  may  be  my  time  next.  Oh  !  that  we  could  be  what  we  ought  to  be, 
under  liabilities  so  fearful  and  so  unforeseen,  so  uncontrollable,  even 
if  foreknown.  Dear  Dabney,  accept  my  earnest  sympathy,  and  tell  it 
to  your  wife,  for  she  shares  largely  in  it.  It  is  a  time  with  you  when 
you  need  to  hear  the  voice  of  affectionate  communion  in  your  sorrow. 
Be  assured  of  both  mine  and  my  wife's.  Your  loss  is  very  great ;  but 
the  grace  of  your  Master  is  very,  very  great.  Your  noble  boy  is  gone ; 
for  he  was  noble.  I  remember  him — the  young  Webster — the  calm, 
steady,  great  black  eye ;  the  mouth  and  cheek  expressing  firmness  and 
decision  far  more  than  is  at  all  usual  in  a  child ;  the  noble  head.  I 
remember  all.     But  he  sleeps.     Let  the  Master  have  him.     Farewell. 

"Yours  most  affectionately, 

"C.  R.  Vaughan." 

"Lynchburg,  December  4,  1855. 
"My  Dear  Dabney:  I  received  with  emotions  of  distress  and  almost 
of  terror,  on  Saturday,  the  tidings  of  the  renewed  afifliction  which  God 
has  been  pleased  to  send  upon  you.  I  at  once  began  to  make  my 
arrangements  to  come  down  and  see  you,  to  express  in  person  my  deep 
sympathy  in  your  singular  and  bitter  sorrow  ;  but  the  sudden  sickness 
of  my  wife,  with  other  circumstances,  has  prevented  it  for  a  few  days, 
at  any  rate.  If  I  can  come  this  week,  I  will,  and  in  case  you  are  not 
able  to  come  up  to  aid  me  at  our  next  communion — a  point  on  which 
I  wish  to  hear  from  you  so  soon  as  you  can  make  it  convenient — I  will 
come  some  time  in  the  next  fortnight  and  spend  a  night  with  you.  I 
write  now  just  to  say  that  my  heart  is  sad  for  you,  my  brother.  Your 
two  bright  and  noble  boys,  both  gone!  What  a  grief!  what  an  over- 
whelming sorrow  !  God  is  in  this  matter,  moving  amid  the  cloud  and 
darkness  of  a  throne  which  is  nevertheless  all  spotless  and  full  of  glory. 
It  is  a  case  in  which  you  must  trust  God.  and  trust  him  utterly.  There 
is  reason  to  trust  him  at  all  times.  Tliis  is  easy  enough  admitted  in  the 
abstract.  But  in  the  intensity  and  vehement  energy  of  the  conditions 
with  which  your  heart  is  agitated,  it  is  no  doubt  difficult  for  you  to  see 
into  the  full  significancy.  the  deep  and  powerful  force  of  the  idea.  Yet 
there  is,  for  all  that,  a  ground  for  your  trusting  in  him,  though  he  slay 
you.  No  doubt  affliction  now  seems  to  you  a  far  more  intense  and  real 
thing  than  it  ever  did  before;  the  griefs  of  human  life  are  far  more 
awful  and  terrific  to  you  now  than  they  ever  before  seemed,  even  to 
your  most  realizing  and  comprehensive  conceptions.  But  the  pozver 
of  grace  is  master  of  them,  and  as  you   feel   with   such   intensity  the 


Profpissor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     177 

power  of  the  ill,  do  not  allow  it  to  fill  up  your  soul  so  as  to  exclude 
the  other  truth.  Steady  your  spirit  in  the  storm  for  an  instant,  and 
iix  your  attention  on  the  fact  that,  awful  as  is  the  grief  which  darkens 
3'our  house,  yet  there  is  a  power  to  master  it,  and  that  no  matter  how 
fearful  may  be  the  trouble,  it  may  be  cast  upon  the  Lord;  no  matter 
how  great  the  tribulation,  you  may  still  rejoice  in  it.  Alas  !  our  minds 
are  commonly  as  senseless  to  the  real  force  of  the  evils  of  our  lot  as 
they  are  to  the  grace  that  subdues  them.  We  are  often  as  senseless  to 
the  real  weight  of  the  sorrows  of  a  Christian,  the  real  solemnity  of  the 
discipline  of  the  saint,  as  we  are  to  the  retribution  of  sinners ;  and  the 
practical  consequence  is  when  the  discipline  comes  it  seems  so  heavy, 
so  real,  so  intensely  and  unutterably  bitter,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
recognize  it  as  discipline  and  not  retribution,  and  we  who  suflfer  it,  as 
the  objects  of  the  love  and  not  the  wrath  of  our  Father  in  heaven. 
But  such  a  conclusion  would  be  wrong.  Has  your  Christian  hope  been 
tlown  out  by  this  tempest?  Have  you  questioned  whether  God  could 
deal  with  you  thus  if  you  were  his  child?  If  you  have,  it  is  a  natural, 
but  not  a  sound  conclusion.  Was  not  Job  beloved  of  God  at  the  very 
time  when  his  children  perished  at  a  stroke?  Do  not  give  up  your 
trust  in  him;  wait,  bow.  submit — submit  even  to  bear  the  rage  of  your 
own  unbelief,  and  say  to  him,  'Even  amid  my  agony;  yea,  amid  the 
rebellion  and  unsubmissiveness  of  the  wicked  part  of  my  nature,  yet  I 
will  trust  in  thee,  though  thou  slay  me,  too.'  I  do  hope  and  pray  that 
God  may  give  you  grace  to  exercise. a  faith  which  will  humble,  comfort 
and  cheer  your  inmost  soul.  But  if  you  cannot  so  believe,  at  least  let 
your  faith  lay  hands  on  your  bleeding  and  darkened  spirit,  and  drag 
it  along  the  way  of  duty.  Follow  the  Master's  will,  in  comfort  if  you 
■can,  but  follow  it.  He  will  bring  you  out  into  a  large  place  in  his  own 
time. 

"Give  my  earnest  sympathies  to  your  dear  wife;  it  is  painful  even 
to  imagine  such  grief  as  hers  and  yours.  Accept  my  affectionate  solici- 
tude, and  also  my  whole  family's.  My  father  seems  specially  moved  for 
3'ou.  Yours  very  truly, 

"C.  R.  Vaughan." 

It  is  not  the  biographer's  business  to  explain  what  God  meant 
in  these  bereavements  to  his  servant ;  but  the  reader  may  get  a 
glimpse  of  a  further  part  of  the  divine  intention,  in  an  incident 
of  his  life  furnished  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Kemper  Bocock,  the 
venerable  widow  of  Dr.  John  H.  Bocock,  pastor,  at  the  time  of 
the  occurrence,  in  Georgetown,  D.  C.     Mrs.  Bocock  writes : 

"About  the  year  1859,  Dr.  Dabney  came  to  our  house  to  deliver  an 

address  in  the  Bridge  Street  Church,  before  the  Bible  Society,  for  my 

"husband,   who  had   the  appointment,   but   for   some   reason  had  to  be 

absent.     Dr.  Dabney  was  our  guest,  and  I  much  enjoyed  his  company. 

12 


178        Life  and  Letters  of  Rouert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Of  our  near  neighbors  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Offutt  and  their  Httle  boy,  an 
only  child.  This  child  was  ill  with  fever.  One  morning,  I  told  Dr. 
Dabney  of  their  grief,  and  my  fears  that  he  would  die,  asking  him  if  he 
would  not  go  over  with  me.  This  was  soon  after  he  had  buried  two 
dear  boys  at  Hampden-Sidney.  He,  without  hesitation,  granted  my 
request.  Without  ringing,  we  gently  walked  through  the  house  to  the 
back  parlor,  where  the  child  was  lying.  Mrs.  Offutt  was  on  her  knee.s 
near  her  child ;  Dr.  Dabney  stood  erect,  between  the  wide  folding-doors, 
with  his  arms  crossed,  silently  taking  in  the  whole  scene.  Soon  he 
walked  to  the  bed,  and  kneeling  near  the  mother,  gave  way  to  a  flood 
of  tears  such  as  I  then  thought  I  had  never  seen  a  man  weep.  Then  he 
offered  such  a  prayer  as  you  can  well  imagine  that  great  tender  heart, 
so  recently  bereaved,  would  offer  for  the  afflicted  parents,  and  the  pre- 
cious child  then  almost  in  the  Saviour's  arms.  When  we  arose,  he 
repeated  some  suitable  tender  words  of  the  Saviour  to  the  mother,  and 
departed.  Mrs.  Offutt  told  me  afterwards  that  that  visit  of  Dr.  Dabney 
did  her  more  good  than  all  the  visits  and  prayers  of  all  other  friends. 
She  was  a  member  of  another  church ;  the  dear  child  was  buried  in  the 
beautiful  Oak  Hill  Cemetery  in  a  few  days." 

During  this  period,  Mr.  Dabney  did  not  enjoy  very  robust 
health.  Once,  in  the  winter  of  1856,  he  was  laid  up  with  a  slow, 
catarrhal  fever,  followed  by  bronchitis,  for  several  weeks ;  and 
in  the  winter  of  1857,  owing  to  his  over-much  work  and  expo- 
sure on  his  long  rides  to  fill  preaching  appointments  on  the 
Sabbaths,  he  had  a  serious  spell  of  sickness. 

But,  notwithstanding  his  relatively  poor  health  and  his  many 
and  severe  labors,  already  noticed,  his  volume  of  correspondence 
grew  in  this  period.  He  still  poured  himself  out  in  his  letters 
to  his  mother  and  his  sister  Betty.  The  following  letter,  writ- 
ten on  occasion  of  an  illness  of  his  mother,  hardly  comes  up  to 
the  average  of  his  letters  as  marking  his  constant  attitude  of 
tenderness  for  those  two  dear  ones.  It  is  presented  because  of 
its  incidental  touches  as  to  the  character  of  his  mother  as  mis- 
tress of  a  household  and  mother  of  a  family : 

"Wednesd.\y  Night,  December  2,  1857. 
"Mv  Dear  Mother:  Frank's  letter,  which  I  suppose  was  written 
last  Thursday,  and  mailed  from  Thompson's  Cross-Roads  last  Fridaj'. 
only  reached  me  this  evening.  Sister  Anne's  letter  gave  me  no  proper 
idea  at  all  of  your  sickness ;  and  consequently,  we  were  not  in  a  state 
of  uneasiness  about  you ;  but  since  the  receipt  of  Frank's,  and  learning 
how  serious  yo-r  attack  has  been,  both  I  and  Lavinia  have  felt  great 
imeasiness.  You  are  no  longer  as  young  as  you  once  were.  I  fear  you 
exposed  yourself  too  nnich  in  attending  to  sick  negroes.     The  pangs  of 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     179 

anxiety  and  uneasiness  which  I  have  suffered  this  evening  tell  me  how 
ill  we  can  afford  to  lose  you.  I  debated  with  myself  all  the  afternoon 
the  propriety  of  my  starting  to-morrow  morning  to  see  you ;  but  the 
hope  that  by  this  time  you  were  a  great  deal  better,  as  Frank's  letter  is 
nearly  a  week  old,  and  regard  for  my  own  health,  determined  me  to 
wait  for  another  letter  from  you.  I  was  caught  out  Sunday  week  in  the 
bad  w-eather,  and  had  to  do  a  very  hard  Sabbath's  work,  in  addition  to 
the  labors  of  a  busy  week,  which  brought  me  altogether  to  the  verge  of 
an  attack  of  bronchitis,  such  as  I  had  last  winter.  I  am  now  getting 
better ;  but  feel  somewhat  afraid  of  venturing  away  from  home  to  take 
the  chances  of  the  uncertain  weather,  until  I  get  well.  I  do  trust  that 
Betty  or  Frank  has  sent  me  a  letter  by  your  Tuesday's  mail,  which  I 
shall  get  to-morrow.  If  we  hear  nothing  then,  we  shall  be  very  uneasy. 
Should  you  not  mend  as  fast  as  we  hope,  and  should  you  feel  any  desire 
to  see  me,  I  will  make  some  arrangement  with  my  colleagues,  and  come 
at  all  risks.  Your  sickness  was  needed  to  teach  us  all  your  value, 
and  the  love  which  we  ought  to  feel  and  manifest  for  you.  If  there 
ever  were  children  who  owed  a  heavy  debt  of  gratitude  to  a  mother, 
we  are  among  them;  and  if  there  ever  was  a  mother  in  whom  the  de- 
scription of  Proverbs  ought  to  be  verified,  "Her  children  rise  up  and  call 
her  blessed,"  surely  our  mother  is  one.  I  find  my  best  solace  in  uncer- 
tainty to  be  in  praying  that  the  God  and  Saviour,  whose  compassions 
fail  not,  and  who  is  in  Louisa  as  truly  as  in  Prince  Edward,  will  soothe 
all  your  sufferings,  heal  your  sickness,  and  make  affliction  bring  forth  a 
far  more  exceeding  weight  of  glory. 

"Tell  Marietta  [his  old  nurse]  that  I  feel  very  sorry  for  her,  indeed, 
at  losing  her  husband.  She  must  learn  to  say  from  the  heart,  "The  Lord 
gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away,  and  blessed  be  the  name  of  the 
Lord.'  She  must  try  to  teach  her  children  to  fear  and  serve  God.  La- 
vinia  will  tell  Daphne  to-night  about  it.  She  has  been  an  excellent  girl 
lately,  and  nurses  the  children  so  well  that  they  love  her  like  a  mother."' 

"Give  my  best  love  to  dear  Betty,  Frank  and  Louisa.  Tell  Sister 
Lou  that  the  Cowper  was  for  her.  The  cloak  for  Bob.  As  to  the 
difficulty  of  not  having  any  place  fine  enough  to  visit  in  it,  I  can  offer 
an  easy  solution.     Come  with  Sister  Anne  to  see  us. 

"We  are  all  well  except  the  baby,  'Thomas  Price,'  who  is  slightly 
disordered  to-night.  Lavinia  sends  a  great  deal  of  love.  I  wish  she 
could  cook  up  something  nice  for  you  and  send  it. 

"Your  affectionate  son,  R.  L.  Dabnev." 

He  endeavored  to  keep  an  eye  on  his  mother's  affairs,  and 
took  measures  to  keep  them  in  a  safe  and  comfortahle  condition. 
He  may  have  been  over-cautious,  and  at  times  given  advice  for 

°  The  women  referred  to  in  this  paragraph  were  servants  (slaves). 


a8o        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dahxey. 

^vhich  there  was  no  need.     For  example,  he  wrote,  on  the  24th 
of  May,  1855,  to  Mr.  C.  W.  Dabney  : 

"Dear  Brother  :  I  was  somewhat  in  hopes  that  I  might  meet  you 
to-day  at  mamma's,  where  I  am  now  writing.  I  reached  here  yesterday 
to  dinner,  and  must  leave  to-morrow,  so  as  to  reach  home  Saturday 
night.    Lavinia's  situation  forbids  my  staying  longer  from  home.     .     .     . 

"Mamma  and  Francis  were  telling  me  to-day  that  $2,500  of  mamma's 
money  is  in  the  hands  of  Col.  Peter  Guerrant,  with  you  as  security. 
Excuse  me  for  saying  that  I  think  this  is  a  very  undesirable  arrange- 
ment. I  know  that  these  loans  are  essential  to  mamma's  comfort,  for 
the  farm  hardly  clears  itself;  and  I  feel  exceedingly  anxious  that  the 
safety  of  the  funds  and  their  annual  income  should  be  entire,  at  least 
during  her  life.  No  considerations  of  delicacy  towards,  or  pains  to  be 
inflicted  on  any  other  person,  in  the  way  of  guarding  her  rights,  ought 
to  weigh  one  moment  against  her  comfort  in  this  matter.  Now,  I  under- 
stand that  Col.  Guerrant's  affairs  are  complicated,  his  management 
dilatory  and  confused,  and  his  solvency  already  questionable.  In  the 
case  of  such  a  man  as  he  (waiving  wholly  the  last  point),  there  is 
always  some  doubt  about  the  continuance  of  his  solvency.  Now,  it  is 
entirely  improper  that  yoii  should,  in  such  a  case,  stand  in  the  breach. 
I  do  not  want  to  see  you  pay  other  people's  debts,  under  any  circum- 
stances. It  is  peculiarly  unfortunate  that  you  should  have  to  pay  a 
security  debt  to  your  own  mother  or  brothers,  incurring  thereby  a  risk 
of  any  of  those  painful  heart-burnings,  which  usually  grow  out  of  these 
transactions :  and  as  you  are  to  some  extent  Col.  Guerrant's  partner, 
the  failure  of  his  solvency  would  inevitably  affect  your  ability  to  pay 
any  such  sum  with  convenience.  I  see  nothing  but  trouble  ahead,  and 
possibly  a  disturbance  of  fraternal  concord  infinitely  more  precious  than 
money,  from  this  arrangement.  I  have,  therefore,  advised  mamma,  and 
I  write  to  urge  the  advice  on  you,  either  to  demand  of  Col.  Guerrant 
other  and  satisfactory  security;  or,  better  still,  to  collect  the  money  at 
once,  and  invest  it  elsewhere.  It  may  be  inconvenient  for  him  to  pay  it. 
.and  it  might  very  probably  be  painful  to  you  to  urge  its  payment;  but 
the  first  trouble  is  tenfold  lighter  than  the  last  will  be,  if  the  thing  is 
3)OStponed.     An  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure. 

"I  learned  lately  from  a  Kentucky  gentleman  that  the  Illionis  Cen- 
tral, and  Mobile  &  Cairo  Railroads  are  tending  towards  their  focus,  in 
the  region  of  our  Kentucky  land."  The  Arkansas  people  are  also  pro- 
jecting a  railroad  from  Ohio  City,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio, 
diagonally  in  a  southwest  direction  across  their  State;  and  Congress 
has  made  liberal  grants  of  public  land  to  it.  If  these  converge  at  that 
point,  of  the  Mississippi,  they  will  give  an  importance  to  our  lands  that 

°  These  lands  were  a  part  of  the  Virginia  military  grant  to  Col. 
Charles  Dabney. 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     i8i 

makes  it  well  worth  looking  into.    I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  sell  it  some 
day  for  something  worth  while. 

"Mamma  and  the  family  are  well.  I  was  very  hopeful  of  being  able 
to  get  her  or  Sister  Anne  to  go  home  with  me;  but  I  believe  I  shall 
fail.     With  love  to  Sister  Cordelia  and  the  little  ones. 

"Yours  affectionately,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

This  letter  is  one  of  many,  sho\ving  his  practical  concern  in 
his  mother's  temporal  \velfare,  and  if  it  was  a  product  of  over- 
caution,  many  of  them  were  not.  His  suggestions  touching  the 
management  of  her  estate  were  usually  wise,  and  were  highly 
appreciated  by  her. 

He  maintained  a  constant  and  most  intimate  correspondence 
with  his  much-respected  and  loved  older  brother.  One  of  the 
motives  to  this  correspondence  was  the  desire  to  win  this 
brother  to  an  open  profession  of  Christ.  The  following  letter 
is  presented  as  an  instance  of  his  wrestling  for  this  purpose: 

"December  23,  1855. 

"Dear  Brother  :  My  last  letter  was  little  more  than  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  receipt  of  your  two.  Both  lack  of  time  and  lack  of  compo- 
sure forbade  me  to  say  what  I  wanted  to  say  then,  and  I  now,  therefore, 
consider  myself  as  ansivering  your  letters. 

"When  we  consider  how  little  the  habitual  talk  and  feelings  of  Chris- 
tians, and  even  of  Christian  ministers,  seem  to  correspond  to  their  pro- 
fession and  preaching,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  men  of  this  world  feel 
as  though  this  preaching  was  mere  words  of  course,  not  intended  to  be 
taken  in  its  living  and  literal  force;  but  I  can  testify,  from  my  own 
experience,  that  this  seeming  is  often  very  unfair.  Many  an  imperfect 
good  man  feels  a  deep  and  abiding  desire  for  the  salvation  of  his  neigh- 
bors and  associates ;  in  intercourse  with  Christians  likeminded,  the 
'things  of  the  kingdom'  are  most  dear  and  tender  topics  of  communi- 
cation, and  in  his  retirement  he  often  mourns  over  his  unfaithfulness  to 
the  souls  around  him,  and  longs  for  strength  to  be  more  faithful ;  but 
when  in  the  presence  of  the  world,  a  diffidence  and  difficulty,  partly 
sinful  and  partly  arising  from  a  proper  feeling  of  the  awful  sanctity  of 
the  subject,  seal  his  lips,  and  the  remaining  worldliness  of  his  own 
affections  hurries  him  away,  to  talk  too  exclusively,  and  too  warmly,  of 
the  things  of  this  earth.  Christians  need  the  judgment  of  charity,  for 
they  'have  a  law  of  sin  in  their  members,  warring  against  the  law  of 
their  mind,  and  bringing  them  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin.' 

"But  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  mere  man  of  the  world  should  reason 
thus.  'Here  is  a  set  of  people  who  profess  that  the  soul  is  of  vastly 
superior  importance  to  all  the  world ;  that  I  am  unregenerate,  and  so 
in  danger  of  hell  fire ;    that  tlicy  have  some  of  that  spirit  of  love  for  lost 


i82        Life  and  Lf.tters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dacxey. 

souls  which  Christ  felt,  etc.  How  is  it  that  they  can  see  me  exposed  to 
a  danger  they  think  so  vast,  and  yet  I  have  been  living  on  friendly 
terms  with  sundry  of  them  for  twenty,  thirty,  fifty  years,  including  some 
preachers,  and  one  of  them  has  hardly  alluded  to  the  subject?  They 
cannot  be  in  earnest.'  Thus,  our  fault  casts  an  air  of  unreality,  vague- 
ness, and  uncertainty,  over  the  whole  subject  of  redemption.  We 
should  not  palliate  our  guilt  herein:    but  still  the  inference  is  unjust. 

''The  statements  you  made  in  your  first  letter,  as  to  your  views  of 
Christianity,  could  not  but  be  very  gratifying  to  me,  although  not  un- 
expected. I  did  not  believe  it  could  be  otherwise  with  the  son  of  such 
a  father.  You  say  that  you  feel  a  true  interest  in  the  public  exercises 
of  Christianity,  and  take  pleasure  in  attending  on  them  whenever  it 
is  in  your  power.  But  is  not  this  feeling  social  and  intellectual,  rather 
than  spiritual?  If  it  is  the  latter — that  is,  if  it  is  a  true  interest  and 
pleasure  in  the  holiness  of  God,  the  holiness  of  his  law,  and  the  holi- 
ness, truth,  wisdom  and  fitness  of  his  way  of  redemption — then  you  arc 
a  Christian,  whether  aware  of  it  or  not.  But  if  it  were  so,  how  comes 
it  that  you  do  not  take  a  similar  pleasure  in  the  secret  and  domestic 
worship  of  God?  Search,  then,  and  see.  You  remark,  in  accordance 
with  the  very  feelings  I  have  described  on  the  preceding  page,  that 
perhaps  your  frequent  observation  of  the  fanaticism  and  insincerity  of 
those  who  profess  a  new  birth,  may  have  made  you  less  sensible  of  its 
reality  and  necessity  than  you  should  be.  Let  us  look  at  this.  Is  not 
this  doctrine,  'Ye  must  be  born  again,"  the  common  doctrine  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  of  all  Christian  churches,  and  of  all  respect- 
able Christians  of  every  age  and  denomination?  Let  me  ask  you  to 
read  Psalm  li.  5-10;  Jeremiah  xxxi.  2)2>\  Ezekiel  xviii  31,  xi.  19,  20; 
John  iii.  1-15;  Ephesians  i.  19,  20.  These  are  a  few  of  a  multitude. 
Let  me  appeal  to  your  own  consciousness  and  experience.  Is  not  this 
obviously  the  correct  view  of  human  nature ;  and  that  not  only  in  things 
religious,  but  in  all  things,  that  man  has  certain  prevalent  dispositions 
which  are  innate,  unchangeable  by  human  power,  and  dominant,  and 
which  determine  the  force  and  effect  of  motives  on  him,  and 
the  nature  of  his  preferences  and  actions?  For  instance,  there  is 
the  love  of  the  approbation  of  fellow-men;  a  principle  not  taught,  but 
inborn,  not  adopted  or  selected  by  the  person's  own  choice,  but  prior 
to,  and  prevalent  over  his  choice,  by  the  influence  of  which  every  man 
naturally  seeks  a  part  of  his  happiness  in  the  applause  of  his  asso- 
ciates, and  naturally  does  many  things  to  gain  that  applause.  Knowing 
that  this  is  a  natural  trait  of  the  soul,  we  expect  to  find  man  guided 
by  it  more  or  less  with  absolute  certainty  and  in  every  human  being. 
We  are  willing  beforehand  to  assert  it  of  every  human  being  in  the 
world,  however  unknown  to  us,  that  he  is  sensii-)le  in  some  respects  to 
this  love  of  applause,  and  does  some  things  to  win  it.  And  if  any  man 
tells  us,  'No,  he  has  rid  himself  entirely  of  it  by  an  act  of  his  choice, 
or  has  been  educated  or  persuaded  out  of  it  entirely"   (like  the  hermit, 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     183 

for  instance,  who  professes  to  forget  the  praise  of  men  in  his  desert 
cell),  we  tell  him  he  is  only  mistaken.  An  inborn  disposition  is  not 
so  eradicated;  he  still  feels  it,  but  unconsciously.  A  man  cannot  (be- 
cause he  will  not)  choose  or  be  persuaded  to  divest  himself  of  one 
of  these  native  dispositions  of  the  soul,  because  it  is  they  which  deterr 
mine  the  nature  of  its  choices.  We  might  draw  a  similar  illustration 
from  the  native  love  of  self,  the  native  sense  of  incum  and  tcuin,  or 
love  of  property,  the  native  sexual  propensity,  the  native  love  of  society, 
€tc.,  etc.  Now,  is  there  not  in  all  of  us  a  similar  native,  dominant, 
original  disposition  for  earthliness,  rather  than  godliness;  a  disposition 
which  turns  us  away  from  the  holiness  and  spirituality  of  God  to  the 
world,  as  our  preferred  object,  and  causes  us  to  adopt  some  form  of 
disobedience  to  his  law  as  our  habitual  course  and  career?  Every  man 
is  conscious  of  it.  I  knoiv  it  ivas  so  with  me.  I  see  it  is  so  with  every 
human  being  I  know,  who  is  not  changed  by  God,  aijd  so  I  believe  the 
Bible  when  it  says  it  is  so  universally.  It  is  a  disposition  innate,  funda- 
mental, original,  itself  determining  the  force  of  motive  and  the  nature 
of  our  preferences,  and  not,  therefore,  to  be  revolutionized  by  mere 
motive.  Education,  habit,  persuasion,  self-government,  may  curb  or 
conceal,  but  cannot  eradicate  it  any  more  than  eradicate  self  love,  the 
sensual  propensity,  or  the  love  of  applause.  There  is  not  an  instance 
of  such  a  thing  in  the  history  of  the  human  race.  Is  it  so,  then,  that 
this  native  ungodliness  is  in  us,  and  is  utterly  ineradicable  by  any  mere 
human  influence?     There  is  no  denying  these  two  facts. 

"But  reason  and  Scripture  both  say  that  it  must  be  eradicated,  or 
there  is  no  true,  no  effectual  redemption.  "Ye  must  be  born  again;' 
'that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  Hesh'  (possessed  of  man's  nature). 
'Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.'  And  there  are 
two  reasons  why  this  must  be  so. 

"i.  As  David  says  in  the  fifty-first  Psalm,  'God  requireth  truth  in 
the  inward  parts.'  As  a  spiritual,  heart-searching  and  perfect  being, 
he  cannot  be  satisfied  with  a  service  or  regard  that  is  external  or  merely 
interested. 

"2.  Man  cannot  be  happy  without  the  change.  Impunity  could  not 
make  him  happy.  Heaven  could  not.  This  dominant  disposition  is 
called  in  the  Scriptures  carnality.  It  attaches  itself  to  the  world,  the 
objects  of  merely  natural  and  earthly  desire,  as  its  preferred  good,  and 
turns  away  from  God  and  his  more  spiritual  qualities  with  native  repug- 
nance. But  'naked  we  came  into  the  world,  and  naked  we  go  out.'  The 
time  is  coming  when  God  and  his  worship  will  be  the  only  objects  pro- 
posed to  any  soul  as  a  summum  bonum.  Now,  what  more  utter  misery 
can  be  imagined  than  to  be  stripped  of  all  which  our  native  disposition 
prefers  as  its  good,  and  confined  to  that  to  which  it  has  no  appetency 
or  relevancy  at  all ;  on  the  contrary,  a  repugnance :  and  that  for- 
ever. 

"Is  it  not,  then,   a   fact  most  palpable,  practical,   e-xperimental.   that 


184        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

man  needs  a  fundamental  moral  change — one  which  neither  his  own 
resolutions,  choice,  self-control,  self-discipline,  nor  habit,  education, 
persuasion,  nor  mere  force  of  truth,  will  ever  work?  It  is  the  most 
awful,  startling,  and  awakening  of  all  truths,  more  than  those  awful 
facts  of  an  uncertain  approaching  death,  a  judgment  to  come,  and 
eternal  retributions,  because  these  may  be  a  few,  a  good  many  years 
off,  but  that  presses  you  this  moment  and  every  moment,  and  shows 
you  as  much  a  lost  soul  as  those  already  doomed;  but  here  the  gospel 
comes  in,  and  says  that  God  will  work  this  change,  which  natural  means 
cannot,  by  his  almighty  Spirit,  working  in  connection  with  gospel  truth 
heartily  embraced  and  obeyed.  This  new  creating  grace,  God  says,  is 
an  influence  mysterious,  invisible  except  by  its  moral  results,  not  dis- 
cernible even  by  him  who  experiences  it,  except  by  the  changes  which 
it  produces,  and  supernatural.  But  it  is  real.  There  may  be  tens  of 
thousands  who  persuade  themselves  they  have  experienced  it,  and  are 
mistaken,  and  hundreds  who  hypocritically  profess  it  for  selfish  ends ; 
but  if  there  is  one  unmistakable  instance,  where  the  native  disposition 
has  been  thus  fundamentally  reversed,  where  the  well-sustained  conduct 
shows  that  (amidst  remaining  imperfections)  God  and  his  favor  have 
become  the  soul's  chief  good  instead  of  the  world,  there  is  sufficient 
evidence.  There  is  a  mental  phenomenon,  which  no  natural  principle 
can  explain,  any  more  than  the  resurrection  of  Christ's  body.  There  is 
the  finger  of  God. 

"Now  this  great  and  awful  fact  leaves  man  in  a  state  of  dependence 
on  God.  There  is  no  pardon,  except  in  connection  with  the  new  birth. 
Guilt  and  depravity  must  both  be  removed  together,  if  at  all.  Sinful 
man  hangs  on  God's  good  pleasure.  Well,  if  this  is  so,  what  is  the 
madness  of  provoking  this  holy  being  by  further  pursuing  a  life  of  sin? 
Do  you  object  that  you  are  dependent  (according  to  my  teaching)  on 
grace  to  arrest  that  sinful  life  to  any  good  purpose?  Well,  if  continu- 
ance in  sin  is  madness  and  guilt,  and  cessation  of  sin  will  not  take  place 
without  divine  help,  the  only  dictate  of  good  sense  is  to  fall  as  a  helpless, 
passive  sinner  on  the  promises;  to  resign  one's  self  at  once  to  be  saved 
as  one  helpless  by  the  gospel  plan.  This  state  of  mind  is  what  leads  to 
faith,  thoroughly  convinced,  emptied  of  self,  despairing  of  self,  wholly 
resigned  to  God's  righteousness  and  grace.  To  such  a  mind  the  promise 
comes  in,  'To  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become 
the  sons  of  God,  even  to  as  many  as  believed  on  his  name,  which  were 
born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh, 
but  of  God.'     (John  i.  12,  13.)     Weigh  every  word. 

"You  will  say  I  send  you  a  sermon  instead  of  a  letter.  Well,  I  will 
add  one  more  feature  of  resemblance ;  and  as  the  preachers  follow  their 
sermons  with  a  prayer  for  the  divine  blessing,  after  I  have  folded  up 
this  lame  and  halting  composition,  and  directed  it  to  you,  I  will  kneel 
down,  and  pray  to  'the  God  who  seeth  in  secret,'  to  guide  you  into  his 
truth,  to  show  you  the  way  of  salvation,  and  place  you  in  it,  to  bless 


\ 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     185 

your  little  ones  and  make  them  his  children,  and  to  give  the  sweetest 
and  best  influences  of  his  grace  to  my  dear  sister;  and  may  the  Lord 
forgive  me  that  I,  so  poor  and  beggarly  a  sinner,  should  try  to  unfold 
the  riches  of  his  grace  to  one  less  guilty  than  myself. 

"We  are  all  reasonably  well.  Betty  urges  me  to  join  you  all  at 
Christmas  at  mamma's.  This  is  impossible,  as  I  have  no  recess,  and 
cannot  leave  Lavinia.  My  heart  will  be  with  you.  As  to  our  griefs,  our 
life  is  as  April  weather.  R-  L.  D. 

While  betraying,  in  most  of  his  letters  to  him,  this  earnest 
desire  for  the  conversion  of  his  brother,  their  correspondence 
ranges  over  the  spheres  of  scientific  farming,  law,  politics,  the 
state  of  the  country,  and  churches.  He  pours  out  his  fears  of 
"mischief  to  come  in  our  political  relations";  sets  forth  his 
views,  very  moderate  and  cautious  as  to  the  stand  the  South 
should  take';  and  expounds  the  duty  of  Christian  people  to 
save  the  country  from  coming  political  evils. 

He  is  much  consulted,  not  only  by  his  brother  ministers, 
touching  calls,  after  the  manner  of  many  theological  professors, 
and  by  congregations  touching  supplies ;  but  by  men  of  enter- 
prise in  beiialf  of  the  cause  of  the  church  generally.  When 
Dr.  McGuffey  would  prepare  a  scheme  for  a  second  course  of 
lectures  on  Christianity  in  the  University  of  Virginia,  he  con- 
sults Dr.  Dabney  amongst  others ;  and  he  replies  with  two  or 
three  elaborate  schemes  as  "suggestions."  His  old  congrega- 
tion at  Tinkling  Spring  numbered  amongst  it  some  of  the 
warmest  friends  and  admirers  he  ever  won  anywhere.  They 
were  long  in  finding  a  successor  to  him  to  please  them  ;  he  com- 
mended to  them  man  after  man,  but  they  drew  a  contrast  unfa- 
vorable to  the  candidate,  even  when  partly  disposed  to  accept 
him.  But  for  his  intense  affection  for  the  people  of  his  old 
charge,  and  for  some  of  them  in  particular,  the  correspondence 
must  have  proved  irksome  and  burdensome ;  but  there  is  no  sign 
of  this  on  his  part.  Indeed,  he  had  formed  friendships  amongst 
these  sturdy  Scotch-Irishmen  that  remained  amongst  the  dearest 
of  his  life. 

During  this  period  he  received  one  letter  by  way  of  consulta- 
tion, which  is  a  marked  proof  of  the  great  honor  in  which  he 
was  already  held,  as  well  as  indicative  of  character  of  the 
highest  order  in  the  writer.     They  were  long  mutual  friends. 

'  See  letter  to  Charles  William  Dabney,  Esq.,  February  15,  1857. 


1 86  ■     Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dacney. 

Their  regard  increased  with  age.    The  letter  is  from  Thomas  J. 
Kirkpatrick.     Rewrites: 

"Lynchburg,  May  3,  1858. 

"My  Dear  Sir:  Your  favor  of  the  22nd  ultimo  was  received 
as  I  was  about  leaving  home  for  a  week's  absence.  This  fact 
occasioned  the  delay  in  my  answer.  It  was  by  no  means  "meddlesome' 
in  you  to  address  me  on  the  subject  of  your  letter.  I  welcome  your 
interest  in  me  and  in  the  cause  of  our  common  Redeemer !  I  feel  that 
I  need  the  counsel  and  sympathy  of  God's  people ; — especially  in  refer- 
ence to  this  great  question  of  duty.  I  will  endeavor  to  give  you  a 
candid  statement  of  my  situation  and  views.  I  ask  that  you  will  do 
me  the  favor  to  consider  them,  and  then  give  me  your  advice. 

"I  believe  that  I  love  Jesus  Christ  with  an  ever-increasing  affection. 
I  desire,  above  all  things,  to  do  his  will.  I  hope  that  I  am  prepared 
to  make  some  sacrifice  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  sincerely  pray  that 
my  soul  shall  be  so  fixed  with  his  love  as  to  make  it  my  meat  and 
drink  to  do  his  will  altogether. 

"I  have,  during  the  last  two  years,  frequently  deliberated  the  subject 
of  entering  upon  the  life  of  a  minister.  Yet  whenever  I  examined  my 
motives  very  closely,  I  have  seen  very  clearly  that  they  were  impure. 
I  have  seen  that  I  desired  to  be  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  rather  to  be 
freed  from  the  trying  temptation  of  my  present  profession,  rather  to 
enjoy  the  means  of  grace,  than  to  glorify  God  by  dispensing  those 
means  to  others.  This  motive  was  selfish, and  pusillanimous.  I  am 
satisfied,  too,  that  it  was  based  on  false  notions  of  a  minister's  life. 
For  some  time  past  I  have  been  quite  active  in  conducting  prayer- 
meetings — frequently  making  public  exhortations.  I  have  thus  had  a 
taste  of  the  preacher's  experience.  This  taste  has  satisfied  me  that 
his  pathway  is  full  of  pitfalls.  I  have  found  the  devil  assailing  me  in 
quarters  and  with  means  that  I  never  dreamed  of  before.  Oh  !  how 
wonderfully  deceitful  is  the  human  heart. 

"But  these  are  considerations  that  do  not  deserve  so  much  notice. 
The  question  is.  What  is  my  duty?  This  I  desire  to  know;  and  in 
arriving  at  an  answer,  the  teaching  of  God's  Providence  demands  the 
first  consideration.  It  is  here  that  I  encounter  the  most  serious  diffi- 
culties, which  I  will  briefly  state. 

"My  father  died  when  I  was  very  young.  He  left  my  mother,  with 
a  large  family,  in  straightened  circumstances.  It  was  impossible  to 
keep  my  education  steadily  advancing.  For  several  years  I  went  to 
miserable  teachers,  though  they  pretended  otherwise.  Once  or  twice 
the  plan  of  my  education  was  changed,  Greek  given  up  altogether.  So 
that  at  seventeen  years  of  age  I  was  badly  prepared  for  the  sophomore 
class  at  Washington  College.  I  managed,  however,  to  get  through 
that  year,  but  was  then  compelled  to  teach  in  order  to  provide  the 
means  for  continuing  my  collegiate  course.  I  could  get  only  a  small 
school ;  made  nothing.     My  friends  then  induced  me — unadvisedly,  per- 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     187 

haps — to  commence  studying  law.  I  entered  the  bar  when  twenty  years 
of  age.  Two  or  three  years  afterwards — madness  !  you  will  exclaim — 
I  married  a  poor  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  widow  with  three  children, 
all  girls.  One  year  afterwards  my  mother-in-law  died,  when  her  family 
became  my  own.  In  the  meantime,  and  up  to  the  present,  I  have  to 
contribute  from  $150  to  $500  annually  to  the  support  of  my  mother's 
family. 

"I  professed  religion  just  before  my  marriage;  but  embraced  the 
Confession  of  our  church  with  so  many  and  important  qualifications 
as  to  render  my  entry  upon  the  life  of  the  minister  wholly  impossible. 
These  difficulties  grew  gradually  less  until  two  years  ago,  since  which 
period  I  have  looked  upon  our  Confession  as  embodying  my  own 
fixed  convictions  and  principles.  Since  then,  also,  I  have  been  con- 
sidering whether  God  did  not  call  me  to  preach  his  gospel. 

"But  I  now  find  that  my  classical  attainments,  never  respectable, 
have  suffered  from  long  neglect  and  a  naturally  bad  memory.  I  have 
confined  myself  for  ten  years  to  the  study  of  my  profession  and  of 
metaphysics,  the  latter  in  all  its  branches,  mental,  moral  and  theological. 
I  now  know  very  little  of  the  Latin — nothing  of  the  Greek  lan- 
guage. 

"Add  to  these  facts  the  others,  that  my  family  are  dependent  upon 
my  labor  for  their  support,  and  that  some  of  them  are  in  such  ill-health 
as  to  require  much  of  my  personal  attention,  and  I  think  you  will  agree 
with  me  in  thinking  that  it  would  require  many  years  of  the  interrupted 
labor  (which  is  all  that  is  possible  in  my  case)  to  prepare  me  for 
the  work  of  a  fully-equipped  minister.  During  this  period  my  family 
would  be  obliged  to  suffer. 

"These  facts  demand  consideration,  and  I  think  they  show — at  least, 
with  tolerable  certainty — that  God  intends  me  to  remain  where  I  am. 
Yet  I  wish  the  matter  was  uiorc  clearly  settled.  I  want  to  do  something 
— I  want  to  do  great  things  for  Christ's  kingdom.  My  dear  sir.  every 
day  I  live.  I  am  more  and  more  amazed  at  the  love  of  God  in  Christ. 
That  love,  as  I  witness  its  work  in  my  own  poor  soul,  contemptible  in 
comparison  with  what  the  work  might  be,  is  yet  past  all  comprehension. 
I  long  to  tell  and  to  teach  others  the  blessedness  of  this  glorious  inheri- 
tance. I  want  to  be  honored  of  God,  by  being  used  by  him  in  bringing 
sinners  to  the  marvellous  light  of  his  gospel.  I  pray  to  be  wholly  de- 
livered from  everything  not  consonant  with  this  high  honor,  this  most 
exalted  dignity.  Will  you,  most  respected  sir.  give  me  the  help  of  your 
prayer  just  on  this  point?  Pray  that  I  may  be  delivered  from  all  cow- 
ardice, all  fear  of  sacrifice.  May  the  Holy  Ghost  imbue  me  with  his 
gracious  influence,  and  lead  me  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus  with  every  faculty 
of  my  being  ! 

"Forgive  my  troubling  you  with  this  long  dissertation  on  myself. 
May  I  ask.  in  conclusion,  that  you  will  consider  my  case,  and  help  me 
with  your  advice?     I  thank  j'ou  for  your  kind  offers  of  help  and  sym- 


1 88        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

pathy  contained  in  your  letter.     May  God  bless  you,  dear  sir,  and  honor 
you  greatly  in  his  blessed  service ! 

"Very  sincerely  and  respectfully,  your  friend  in  Christ, 

"ThO.    J.    KiRKPATRICK."  * 

The  most  delightful  part  of  his  correspondence  in  this  period 
is  that  to  his  wife.  This  has  already  been  illustrated  in  the 
treatment  of  other  topics,  as,  for  instance,  in  that  of  his  first 
trip  to  New  York.  His  letters  to  Mrs.  Dabney  were  always 
affectionate  and  tender  in  a  high  degree,  but  they  were  always 
the  letters  of  a  man  of  intellect,  powers  of  observation,  humor, 
sometimes  sarcasm ;  they  were  often  descriptive,  and  would  be 
useful  to  the  historian  trying  to  reproduce  the  Virginian  life  of 
his  time.     Take  this  as  an  instance : 

"TJiursday  morning. 

"My  Dear  Binney:  I  reached  mamma's  last  night  about  an  hour  of 
sun,  and  found  mamma  and  Betty  still  at  brother's,  but  they  are  ex- 
pected this  morning.  I  got  on  very  well,  indeed,  after  starting  Tuesday, 
eating  my  snack  about  twelve  o'clock  at  the  Tearwallet  spring  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  Cumberland  Courthouse,  and  reaching  Mr.  Harrison's 
early.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  travelling  in  my  own  dust  all  the  way. 
which  has  aggravated,  I  think,  the  inflammation  in  my  nostrils  and 
throat.  It  seems  to  me,  at  any  rate,  that  I  have  the  symptoms  of  cold 
all  the  time.  I  rode  with  Mr.  Harrison  over  his  farm,  which  is  very 
extensive.  He  has  a  hundred  acres  sown  in  peas,  and  three  hundred  in 
wheat.  Of  the  latter,  he  expects  to  make  5,000  bushels.  There  is,  "be- 
sides, a  monstrous  tobacco  crop,  and  this  year  he  is  selling  some  corn  at 
$5  a  barrel.  Such  is  his  income.  Now  I  will  give  you  an  inventory  of 
the  furniture  in  the  chamber  I  lodged  in,  which  was  very  comfortable 
and  nice :  One  sycamore  bedstead,  worth  about  $4.50,  with  shuck  mat- 
tress, calico  counterpane,  etc. ;  three  calico  window-curtains,  three  split- 
bottom  chairs,  homemade ;  one  neat,  two-ply  carpet,  one  little,  little  pine 
washstand,  one  white  delf  wash-bowl,  smallest  size ;  one  brownstone 
pitcher,  same  material  of  the  common  crocks;  one  little  looking-glass, 
on  a  pine  dressing-table,  worth  about  $1.50;  one  pine  cupboard.  All 
clean.  All  good  enough.  His  coat  and  pantaloons  cost  about  $2.75  per 
yard,  coarse  grey  cloth.     All  the  ladies  of  the  family  in  calico,  except 

Mrs. ,  who,  being  poor,  was  finer.     She  had  on  a  black  stuff  dress 

in  the  evening,  and  white  cambric  wrapper  in  the  morning.  Now  this 
is  the  way  rational  people  live,  who  really  are  rich.  Mr.  Harrison  says 
that  he  about  lives  on  his  income,  and  in  educating  his  boys  has  been 


'  Major  Kirkpatrick  never  entered  the  ministry,  but  blessed  the  whole 
church  by  his  life  as  a  Christian,  and  his  services  as  a  ruling  elder. 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  Historv  and  Polity.     189 

obliged  to  contract  some  debt.  Now  here  is  a  truthful  picture  from 
real  life.  Harrison's  land  is  worth  about  $40,000,  and  his  personal  estate 
as  much  more,  say  $80,000 ;  and  here  is  the  sort  of  thing  which  a 
rational,  experienced  man,  of  highest  social  standing,  thinks  that  fortune 
will  justify.     .     .     . 

"When  I  came  out  from  Mr.  Harrison's,  Marquess  looked  so  gaunt 
and  dissatisfied  that  I  stopped  in  Cartersville  to  have  him  fed.  This, 
together  with  the  abominable  ferry  (the  bridge  is  gone),  detained  us 
till  near  eleven  o'clock.  I  came  by  Union  Church,  Providence,  etc.,  and 
got  to  Mr.  Payne's  at  three  o'clock.  A  threatening  cloud  was  just 
coming  up.  They  said  the  house  was  locked  up,  Payne  gone  to  Rich- 
mond, Anne  to  mamma's,  etc. ;  but  Maria  got  me  some  dinner  (hoe- 
cake,  fried  middling  and  milk),  with  a  shoe  knife  and  iron  fork  for 
table  furniture,  and  a  stool  for  a  table.  Some  of  Anne's  windows  were 
up,  so  I  climbed  in  clandestinely  at  a  window,  opened  a  door,  and  sent 
her  man  William  in  to  let  them  down.  After  the  rain  I  came  here,  and 
found  Louisa  and  Frank  in  possession.  She  is  a  charming  woman,  and 
none  the  worse  in  my  eyes  for  being  a  "fruitful  vine."  I  came  right  in 
on  her  without  two  seconds'  warning.  (Anne  had  left  in  the  morning 
for  Mr.  Johnson's,  so  I  missed  her.)  Louisa's  dress,  I  suppose,  cost 
(including  everything  but  breastpin)  about  $4,  a  very  plain  lawn,  a  neat 
little  collar,  and  a  band  of  black  ribbon,  with  a  bow  around  her  fair 
hair,  but  all  was  clean,  tidy  and  fresh.  She  did  not  have  to  run  and 
hide,  as  certain  other  females  would  be  very  apt  to  have  to  do,  and 
undergo  a  hurried  primping,  to  make  herself  presentable  to  a  brother- 
in-law  from  a  distance;  but,  hearing  my  step  on  the  door-sill,  looked  up. 
and  rising,  came  at  once  to  meet  me  as  she  was.  Her  children  are  very 
well,  and  unusally  fat.  Mamma  is  tolerably  well,  they  say.  and  very 
anxious  to  get  home. 

"With  best  love  to  Charley,  I  would  ask  you  to  write  to  me ;  but 
tliat  I  know  I  should  not  get  the  letter.  You  will  get  this  Friday,  and 
might  write  Friday  evening ;  send  it  to  Richmond  Saturday,  so  that  I 
would  be  sure  to  receive  it  Tuesday;  but  your  letters  always  travel  so 
deliberately. 

"Your  affectionate  husband,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

It  might  have  been  expected  that  a  man  pressed  by  all  his 
cares  and  labors  would  have  cared  little  for  the  social  life  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lived ;  but  this  was  not  the  case ;  he 
was  often  for  an  ofif  day,  a  relief  from  pressure,  a  freedom  from 
the  stress  of  regular  work,  and  wanted  still  more  frequently  an 
hour's  pleasant,  restful  chat.  The  society  of  the  Hill  and  the 
surrounding  community  was  of  a  very  high  order.  Rarely  is 
a  community  so  entirely  made  up  of  the  refined,  the  cultivated 
and  the  excellent  in  character ;   but  it  was  also  a  communitv  of 


190        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

busy  people,  and  of  people  without  such  tremendous  energy  in 
work,  and  such  demand  for  restful  change  as  he  found  in 
himself.  Hence  he  has  the  leisure  to  complain  in  his  corres- 
pondence, now  and  again,  of  there  being  too  little  social  visiting 
amongst  them.  In  a  letter  of  December  25,  1857.  to  his  brother 
William,  he  writes: 

"No  doubt,  society  here  possesses  many  advantages  over  that  of  most 
country  neighborhoods,  or  even  towns.  While  there  is  vastly  less  of 
luxurious  display,  and  expenditure,  there  is  an  almost  entire  absence  of 
that  vulgarity  which  is  so  often  connected  with  it,  and  a  very  high  grade 
of  propriety  and  intelligence ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  I  and  most  of  my 
neighbors  are  able  to  profit  very  little  by  our  social  advantages. 
Whether  it  is  that  our  professions  are  really  so  exacting,  or  that  the 
idea  that  we  can  see  each  other  so  easily  any  day,  makes  us  postpone 
our  visits  to  every  other  occupation,  I  do  not  know.  Sometimes  I 
hardly  see  my  own  colleagues  socially  for  a  month.  We  meet  officially. 
or  pass  each  other  on  our  daily  errands  with  a  nod.  and  this  is  all ;  hut 
I  am  conscious  that  I  have  too  many  irons  in  the  fire." 

In  later  years  he  drew  some  sketches  of  people  of  A'irginia  of 
this  period — a  society  which  he  dearly  loved,  and  of  which  he 
would  have  seen  more.  With  which  sketches,  under  his  own 
chosen  heading,  we  shall  conclude  this  chapter : 

'A  SURPRISED  NEW  YORKER. 

"A  Virginia  Reyniiiisccncc. 
"by  r.  l.  dabney. 
"During  the  'fifties"  the  Virginia  State  Agricultural  Society  was  in 
its  vigor  and  glory.  Its  membership  included  thousands  of  the  old  land- 
holders, both  planters  and  yeomanry.  It  owned  extensive  grounds, 
ornamented  with  pavilions,  sheds,  etc..  in  the  western  suburbs  of  Rich- 
mond, the  place  so  well  known  in  the  more  unhappy  years  as  'Camp 
Lee,'  the  camp  of  instruction  for  the  new  soldiers.  The  great  annual 
meeting  was  held  in  the  glorious  October  weather,  and  was  attended 
not  only  by  thousands  of  farmers,  but  by  many  of  their  wives  and 
daughters.  The  great  society  itself,  under  the  direction  of  its  presi- 
dent and  vice-presidents,  had  an  annual  address  upon  the  science  of 
agriculture,  or  such  as  bore  upon  it,  from  some  distinguished  citizen. 
At  the  period  in  question,  the  elected  speaker  was  Dr.  William  H. 
McGuffey,  the  Professor  of  Philosophy  and  Economics  in  the  State 
University.  It  was  delivered  before  a  vast  crowd  in  the  largest  public 
building  then  in  the  city.  The  main  topic  of  Dr.  McGuffey  was  that 
economic  law  of  production  bearing  upon  the  Malthusian  theory  of 
population,  so  powerfully  illustrated  by  the  then  recent  work  of  John 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     191 

Stuart  Mill.  The  main  proposition  of  the  doctrine  is  that  agricultural 
industry,  unlike  manufacturing,  cannot  make  increments  in  the  returns 
proportional  to  the  increments  of  capital  and  labor  applied.  But  if 
equal  annual  additions  are  made  to  this  capital  and  labor  upon  any  given 
soil  and  crop,  the  additions  thereby  gained  to  the  annual  crops  diminish 
instead  of  increasing,  in  inverse  ratio  to  the  increments  of  outlay.  A 
thoughtful  reader  can  see  how  this  fated  law  may  bear,  not  only  upon 
Malthus'  doctrine  of  population,  but  upon  other  questions  vital  to 
farmers,  such  as  how  far  it  is  wise  to  carry  'intensive  farming,'  and 
what  was  the  wisest  policy  for  that  generation  in  the  large  areas  of 
Virginia.  These  the  professor  elucidated  with  his  marvellous  clearness 
of  intellect  and  power  of  illustration,  combined  with  beautiful  simplicity 
of  style. 

"There  was  then  in  Richmond  a  citizen  of  New  York,  a  j'oung 
gentleman  of  first-rate  culture,  the  guest  of  one  of  the  Richmond  pas- 
tors, who  had  a  continental  reputation  both  for  talent  and  courtesy. 
This  divine  entertained  his  charming  New  York  guest  at  the  greatest 
hotel,  where  he  was  himself  a  boarder.  He  did  his  best  to  enable  his 
young  friend  to  see  the  most  characteristic  things  in  that  gala  week 
of  Virginia  and  her  capital.  Of  course,  he  took  him  to  the  great  meeting 
and  discourse  of  the  State  Society.  When  they  retired  the  Richmond 
man  asked  his  New  York  friend.  'What  thought  you  of  our  Dr.  Mc- 
Guffey?' 

"He  answered,  'Oh!  of  course  I  was  charmed  with  the  discourse; 
it  was  a  model  of  scientific  clearness,  but  I  feel  one  great  objection  to  it.' 

"  'What  is  that?" 

"  'That  it  was  entirely  above  the  comprehension  of  an  audience  of 
clodhopperS)  and  must  have  gone  clean  over  their  heads.' 

"The  Richmond  man  said,  'So  you  think  that  it  is  an  audience  of 
clodhoppers?' 

"  'Why,  yes,  of  course,  or  at  least  of  yeomen.  Is  it  not  a  farmers' 
society?  And  the  general  aspect  of  plainness,  not  to  say  rusticity, 
including  even  the  leaders  upon  the  platform,  confirms  me.' 

"  'Well,  did  you  notice  that  iron-gray  old  gentleman  on  Dr.  McGuf- 
fey's  right,  with  his  long  locks  and  plain  gray  suit?' 

"  'Oh  !  yes ;  rather  a  striking-looking  old  codger,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  influential  of  the  clodhoppers.' 

"'Just  so,'  said  my  friend;  'that  is  the  famous  Edmund  Ruffin, 
Esq.,  perhaps  the  foremost  regenerator  of  Southern  agriculture,  the 
eminent  man  of  science,  author  and  editor,  the  lord  of  inherited  acres, 
deriving  almost  a  princely  revenue  from  them,  and  the  high  gentleman 
and  incorruptible  patriot.' 

"  'Indeed!'  said  the  New  Yorker,  dryly. 

"  'I  will  try  you  again,'  said  my  friend.  'You  noticed  the  portly 
old  gentleman  on  Dr.  McGuffey's  left,  with  the  flaxen  hair  and  placid 
blonde   face?     He   was   dressed   in  a   decent   suit   of  home-made   black 


192        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dadxey. 

jeans,  and  had  on  plain  walking  shoes,  with  dust  on  them.  Who  do 
you  suppose  that  was  ?' 

"  'Oh !  of  course  I  noticed  him ;  studied  him,  indeed,  as  an  inter- 
esting specimen  of  the  old  rustic  Hodge,  retired  upon  his  earnings.' 

"  "Well,  that  was  Franklin  Minor,  Esq.,  of  Albemarle,  an  M.  A. 
of  the  great  State  University,  an  elegant  classicist,  and  principal  of 
the  most  famous  "fitting  school"  in  Virginia,  and  also  the  administrator 
of  his  splendid  inherited  estate  of  Ridgeway.' 

"But  the  evening  showed  that  our  elegant  New  Yorker  was  not  quite 
cured.  After  dinner  his  Richmond  friend  said  to  him,  "I  can  secure 
you  a  capital  chance  to  see  many  of  the  wives  and  daughters  of  these 
farmers.  These  are  lodging  in  this  great  hotel.  At  night  the  great 
parlors  will  be  filled  with  them  and  their  friends,  in  evening  dress, 
and,  as  it  will  not  be  a  formal  reception,  though  as  crowded  as  if  it 
were,  you  and  I,  as  lodgers  here,  have  full  right  to  enter,  and  as  I 
know  the  parents  of  many  of  the  young  ladies,  I  will  introduce  you 
extensively.' 

"'Oh!  yes,'  he  exclaimed,  eagerly;  'that  will  be  ever  so  nice.  I  will 
see  for  myself  the  country  swains  and  bumpkins,  and  the  rustic  belles, 
and  study  the  manner  of  their  flirtations.  It  will  be  better  than  a 
comedy.' 

"Well,  at  the  proper  time,  his  Richmond  friend  took  him  to  one  of 
the  grand  folding-doors,  and  pulled  them  wide  open.  The  New  Yorker 
advanced  two  steps,  and  stopped  as  suddenly  as  if  he  had  been  struck. 
His  smiles  were  replaced  by  an  absolute  paleness.  These  were  the 
things  that  met  him :  A  blaze  of  gas  lights,  a  great  crowd  of  tastefully 
dressed  young  people,  and  the  aristocratic  hum  of  well-bred  conversa- 
tion. The  New  Yorker  had  to  be  almost  dragged  along.  When  intro- 
duced, he  was  almost  dumbfounded;  he  could  not  recover  his  self- 
possession,  but  became  the  most  awkward  man  in  the  room,  and  before 
long  intimated  his  desire  to  withdraw.  His  Richmond  friend  afterwards 
asked  him,  'What  struck  you  when  you  opened  the  doors?' 

"  'Astonishment  struck  me,'  he  replied,  'with  the  conviction  that  I 
was  myself  an  ass.  I  had  come  to  Richmond  with  our  current  erron- 
eous and  arrogant  conception  of  the  Virginians,  and  my  mistakes  of  the 
morning  had  not  cured  me.  I  thought  that  I  was  going  to  be  amused 
with  the  ways  of  rustics ;  but  when  I  saw  inside  of  those  parlors,  I  had 
sense  enough  left  to  see  that  I  was  face  to  face  with  the  most  elegant, 
cultured,  and  graceful  assemblage  that  I  had  yet  seen  anywhere.  Why, 
those  evening  costumes — what  a  union  they  were  of  refined  taste  and 
grace,  with  appropriateness  and  moderation !  I  never  saw  so  many 
accomplished  women  in  one  set  of  parlors,  so  marked  by  gentle  dignity, 
affability  and  culture.' 

"His  Richmond  friend  said  to  him,  'Now  you  are  nearer  right,  but 
not  quite.    Whence  do  you  suppose  those  graceful  costumes  came?' 

"  'From  Paris,  or  New  York,  of  course.' 


Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.     193 

"  'There  you  are  wrong  again.  I  know  the  habits  of  those  famihes 
thoroughly.  On  nine-tenths  of  those  costumes  no  paid  nirodiste  ever 
put  a  finger ;  they  were  fashioned  by  the  young  ladies  at  home,  with  the 
assistance,  in  some  cases  of  elder  sisters  and  aunts.  Did  you  not  per- 
ceive, sir,  that  the  most  of  their  materials  were  inexpensive?  Was 
there  any  parade  of  diamonds?  No;  on  the  contrary,  little  jewelry  of 
any  sort.  Those  charming  combinations  of  graceful  forms  and  subdued 
colors  in  those  dresses  were  simply  the  expression  of  the  sober  and 
refined  home  taste.'  "  * 


°  The  reader  will  note  with  interest  that  Dr.  Dabney's  letters  make 
it  probable  that  he  attended  more  than  one  of  the  fairs  in  person. 


i.5 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FIRST  YEARS  IN  THE  CHAIR  OF  THEOLOGY:  TRYING  TO 
STAY  THE  COMING  OF  "THE  IRREPRESSIBLE  CON- 
FLICT." 

(May,  1859  — May,  1861.) 

The  Prosperity  of  the  Seminary,  1859-1861. — Transferred  to  the 
Chair  of  Systematic  and  Polemic  Theology. — Relations  with 
Dr.  Wilson. — Method  of  Conducting  the  Course  in  Theology. — 
Success  in  his  new  Chair. — Other  Labors  for  the  Seminary. — 
Labors  as  Preacher  and  Pastor. — Growth  of  his  Congregations. 
— Building  of  the  Present  College  Church. — Attempts  made  to 
Move  him  North  :  to  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  ;  to 
Princeton  Seminary. — Labors  as  a  Christian  Minister  to  Stop 
the  rising  Rancor  between  the  Sections. — "Christians,  Pray 
for  your  Country."'' — "Christians'  best  Motive  for  Patriotism/' 
and  other  Efforts. — Views  his  Efforts  as  Fruitless. — Con- 
tinues  THEM    IN   THE   "PACIFIC   APPEAL   TO   CHRISTIANS." — ViEW   OF 

the  Proper  Attitude  of  the  Minister,  as  such,  toward  Political 
Questions. — His  Ministerial  Work  of  this  kind  much  Com- 
mended.— His  own  Political  Views. — His  wide  Correspondence 
ON  THE  State  of  the  Country. — Protest  against  Northern  Ag- 
gression :  "On  the  State  of  the  Country." — Caught  in  the 
Current  of  the  prevailing  Enthusiasm. — Other  Literary  La- 
bors.— Continued  Devotion  to  his  Mother  and  other  Members 
OF  her  Family. 

DURING  the  session  of  i859-"6o  there  was  a  vacant  place 
in  the  Seminary  Faculty.  The  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Peck  had 
been  elected  to  fill  this  vacancy,  but  Baltimore  Presbytery  had 
decided  adversely  to  his  removal  from  the  pastorate  in  that 
city.  The  progress  of  the  Seminary  was  impeded  thereby  ;  but 
the  Faculty,  acting;-  under  powers  committed  to  them  by  the 
Board  of  Directors,  secured  the  services  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Wharey,  of  Briery  Church,  .as  assistant  teacher  of  Hebrew  and 
Biblical  Introduction,  divided  the  history  course  amongst  them- 
selves, and  conducted  their  departments  with  vigor.  The 
Seminary  was  full  of  hope.  It  had  now  thirty-six  matriculate?, 
of  whom  five  were  from  the  bounds  of  the  Svnod  of  North 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  195 

•Carolina,  twenty-five  from  those  of  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  three 
from  Winchester  Presbytery,  one  from  Tennessee,  one  from 
Missouri,  and  one  from  New  York.  Less  than  seven  years 
"before,  the  Seminary  had  only  two  professors  on  the  ground, 
three  professorships  scantily  endowed  in  the  sum  of  $58,600, 
one  endowed  scholarship,  and  eleven  students.  Many  of  its 
friends  had  been  disheartened,  and  the  public  interest  and  con- 
fidence had  been  greatly  alienated  by  its  depressed  condition; 
but  God  had  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  a  few,  amongst  them 
Sampson  and  Dabney,  to  love  it,  to  pray  for  it,  to  devise  liberal 
things,  and  to  give  liberally.  The  professorships  had  been 
increased  to  four,  its  endowed  scholarships  to  six,  and  the 
•churches,  by  their  donations,  had  raised  its  permanent  endow- 
ment to  about  $90,000. 

It  will  appear,  in  the  course  of  this  chapter,  that,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  men  of  the  period,  all  this  growth  was  due  to 
Robert  L.  Dabney  more  than  to  all  others  put  together.  He, 
under  God,  seems  to  have  inspired  and  stimulated  the  whole 
progress.  The  session  of  i86o-'6i  was  still  more  prosperous. 
The  Faculty  was  strengthened  by  the  accession  of  Mr.  Peck, 
one  of  the  grandest  men  that  ever  served  in  the  Faculty  of 
Union  Seminary.  The  student  body  nymbered  thirty-nine 
men. 

In  the  spring  of  1859,  Dr.  Dabney  had  been  transferred  from 
the  chair  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity  to  that  of  The- 
ology, taking  the  title  of  Adjunct  Professor  of  Systematic  and 
Polemic  Theology  and  Sacred  Rhetoric.  Though  Dr.  Wilson 
was  allowed  to  outrank  him  nominally,  his  teaching  was  con- 
fined to  the  sphere  of  Pastoral  Theology,  for  the  most  part,  and 
the  whole  brunt  of  the  labors  of  the  department  fell  on  the 
adjunct,  who  became  at  once  the  real  head.  His  salary  was 
that  of  the  full  professor  at  this  date,  in  spite  of  his  subordinate 
title,  and  properly.  This  title  he  continued  to  bear  till  the 
<leath  of  Dr.  Wilson,  in  1869,  when  he  was  formally  transferred 
to  the  professorship  of  Theology. 

He  would  have  had  no  other  title  as  long  as  Dr.  Wilson  lived. 
He  honored  and  loved  that  excellent  and  aged  man,  and  would 
not  have  diminished  his  honors  for  any  consideration.  There 
never  seems  to  have  been  the  slightest  unpleasantness  between 
them.  Mutual  love  and  esteem  obtained  between  them.  Dr. 
AVilson  looked  upon  his  strong  and  generous  young  colleague 
as  the  very  hope  of  the  Seminary  and  the  church  in  Virginia. 


796         LiFK  Axn  Lkttkks  of  Rokfrt  Lkwis  DAr.XKV. 

He  treated  him  as  a  son.  His  family  treated  him  as  a  brother. 
No  stronger  proof  could  be  desired  in  support  of  the  assertion 
that  Dr.  Dabney  behaved  himself  nobly  in  his  particular  rela- 
tions to  Dr.  Wilson. 

In  his  later  years,  Dr.  Dabney  was  accustomed  to  look  upon 
these  as  the  years  of  his  most  thorough  work  as  a  teacher.  It 
was  a  theory  of  his  that  once  a  man  had  mastered  a  course  well, 
his  next  year  or  so  is  the  period  of  his  greatest  efficiency  as  a 
teacher,  because  at  such  a  time  the  truth  to  be  taught  has  its 
freshest  hold  on  the  teacher.  He  then  naturally  has  most 
enthusiasm  for  it.  He  does  his  work  with  most  fresh  joy.  His 
enthusiasm  is  contagious.  He  had,  also,  in  these  years,  good 
material  to  work  on,  largely  young  men  of  the  best  class,  and 
well  educated.  His  method  of  teaching  systematic  theology 
was  as  follows :  Two  class-meetings  were  devoted  to  each  topic, 
separated  by  the  interval  of  two  days.  At  the  close  of  the 
second  meeting,  the  class  found  on  the  black-board  a  syllabus 
of  the  topic  next  to  be  taken  up.  The  leading  points  in  the 
topic  were  stated  in  the  form  of  questions,  and  under  each, 
exact  references  were  written  out,  to  the  parts  of  leading- 
authors  treating  that  particular  point.  The  most  important 
reference  was  written  first,  the  next  most  important  second,  etc., 
and  the  students  were  urged  to  read  as  many  of  them  as  they 
could.  The  text-book  was  Turretin  in  Latin.  At  the  next 
meeting  he  held  a  recitation  on  Turretin,  covering  ten  to  twelve 
pages.  The  students  were  required,  during  the  second  interval 
of  two  days,  to  write,  each  one,  his  own  thesis  upon  the  topic. 
He  did  not  waste  the  time  of  the  class  by  having  these  theses 
read  aloud,  but  "put  them  into  his  hat,"  took  them  home,  then 
read  and  corrected  each  one,  and  returned  it  to  its  author  after- 
wards. The  second  hour  of  class-meeting  he  spent  in  delivering- 
to  the  class  his  own  lecture  on  the  same  topic.  These  syllabi 
and  lectures  composed  the  main  part  of  his  work  on  theology. 

One  result  of  this  method  was  expressed  bv  Henry  M. 
White,  a  distinguished  student  of  the  period,  now  the  Rev. 
Henry  M.  White,  D.  D.,  Winchester,  V'a.,  as  follows: 

"We  think  we  have  made  quite  a  good  thesis,  hut  as  soon  as  Dr. 
Dahney  gets  them  into  his  hat,  he  begins  and  reads  us  his  lecture  on  the 
same  subject;  then  Ave  see  what  poor  stufif  our  theses  are  in  contrast 
with  the  thoroughness  and  grasp  and  power  of  the  lecture,  so  lie  makes 
us  feel  like  ninnies,  and  that  we  have  much  to  learn  in  order  to  become 
good  theologians." 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  oe  Theology.  197 

Another  result  is  seen  in  the  character  of  the  men  turned  out 
at  this  time,  for  not  a  few  of  them  are  amongst  the  ablest  to 
be  found  in  the  church  to-day. 

His  success  in  his  new  chair  was  greater  than  in  that  of  his- 
tory. It  was  not  only  emphatic,  decided  and  distinguished — it 
was  huge.  He  had  found  his  most  appropriate  sphere.  His 
whole  subsequent  history  is  a  proof  of  this. 

He  still  continued  his  more  diversified  forms  of  labor  i:i 
behalf  of  the  general  welfare  of  the  institution.  He  was  the 
active  and  energetic  representative  of  the  Seminary  in  the 
efforts,  which  were  at  last  crowned  with  success,  to  secure  Mr. 
Peck  for  the  chair  of  Church  History  and  Polity ;  and  we  find 
him  in  this  period  still  toiling  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  material 
interests  of  the  institution.  No  matter  is  too  trifling  to  engage 
his  attention,  if  it  promises  anything  for  the  Seminary.  We 
find  him  stirring  up  some  of  the  Valley  churches  in  i860  to 
furnish  rooms,  each  church  a  room,  in  the  Seminary,  that  the 
students  may  be  made  more  comfortable. 

He  continued,  during  this  period,  his  labors  as  preacher  and 
pastor  in  the  College  Church.  If  those  who  heard  him  at  the 
time  can  be  trusted,  he  was  now  a  great  preacher ;  and  there  h 
every  reason  to  believe  them.  He  was  didactic,  he  had  always 
been  so,  he  was  to  become  so  more  exclusively  in  his  future 
])reaching;  but  he  was  at  this  time  given  to  descriptive  preach- 
ing, in  part.  Major  A.  R.  Venable,  of  Hampden-Sidney,  a 
man  very  capable  of  judging  of  preaching,  says  that  he  has 
never  heard  from  any  man  higher  flights  of  descriptive  elo- 
((uence  than  from  Dr.  Dabney  at  this  time.  The  wonder  is  that 
he  could  have  won  such  a  reputation  as  preacher,  preaching  in 
this  community  so  often,  and  burdened  with  such  severe  labors 
as  professor  in  the  Seminary.  He  had,  however,  been  most 
diligent  as  a  sermonizer  while  at  Tinkling  Springs,  writing- 
many  sermons  out  in  full,  and  others  in  the  form  of  full  briefs. 
He  thus  had  a  great  number  of  excellent  sermons  carefully  pre- 
pared. These  he  sometimes  re-wrote,  or  delivered  with  the 
modifications  natural  to  a  growing  man.  He  had  learned  to 
husband  his  moments,  to  secure  mental  rest  by  a  change  of 
labors.  It  was  his  wont  to  prepare  his  sermons,  in  part,  on 
his  way  to  and  from  his  classes  in  the  Seminary. 

However  he  did  it,  there  is  no  question  that  he  preached  in 
this  period  in  a  manner  to  draw.  His  congregations  grew. 
They  grew  until  the  old  house  became  too  small.    People  came, 


198        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney, 

filled  every  seat,  the  doorway.  Dr.  Smith  was  a  worthy  col- 
league. They  constituted  a  noble  collegiate  of  the  pastoral 
kind. 

The  Old  College  Church  was  a  substantial,  but  ill-contrived, 
structure,  with  its  "Saxon  arches  of  brick."  When  the  congre- 
gation grew  till  this  house  could  not  contain  it,  the  officers  con- 
sulted an  architect,  who  said  he  could  re-seat  the  house  so  as  to 
make  it  hold  the  white  people  of  the  congregation  comfortably, 
provided  they  would  exclude  the  negroes.  But  these  pastors 
and  their  elders  could  tolerate  no  such  suggestion.  They  held 
that  the  negroes  must  be  accommodated  in  God's  house  as  well 
as  the  white  people.  Hence  they  decided  to  build  a  new  church ; 
and  in  i860  a  large  church  was  erected,  with  five  hundred  sit- 
tings for  white  people,  and  three  hundred  for  blacks.  This  wa.-; 
a.  heavy  tax  on  a  community  so  limited  in  wealth.  Dr.  Dabney 
was  the  architect,  made  all  the  drawings,  was  the  superin- 
tendent of  construction,  and,  in  addition,  was,  through  Mrs. 
Dabney,  a  most  liberal  subscriber. 

In  one  respect  his  design  was  botched.  His  plan  called  for  a 
front  tower,  which  was  to  have  carried  up  the  proportions  of 
the  pillared  vestibule,  and  given  finish  and  impressiveness  to  the 
facade ;  but  the  money  gave  out,  and  the  oncoming  of  the  war 
made  its  raising  impossible.  Hence  the  present  blank,  unfin- 
ished look. 

In  the  year  i860  two  attempts  were  made  to  move  Dr.  Dab- 
ney North.  The  first  was  to  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  New  York  City ;  the  second  was  to  Princeton  Semi- 
nary. In  July,  1859,  ^^-  James  W.  Alexander,  pastor  of  the 
great  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  the  greatest  church 
then,  and,  perhaps,  now,  in  the  communions  of  i\merican  Pres- 
byterians, had  died.  His  people  had  begun  to  cast  about  for  a 
successor.  In  the  spring  of  i860,  Mr.  Thomas  R.  Price,  a 
well-known  Richmond  merchant,  and  cousin  of  Dr.  Dabney's, 
was  in  New  York  buying  goods.  He  was  approached  by  an 
officer  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Church,  with  a  view  to  opening  a 
correspondence  with  Dr.  Dabney.  Later  Dr.  Dabney  received  a 
letter,  and  perhaps  letters,  from  officers  in  that  church,  urging 
him  to  allow  them  to  make  him  a  candidate  for  the  pastorate, 
and  expressing  the  opinion  that  he  would  be  elected ;  but  he 
declined,  and  stopped  the  movement. 

In  January,  i860,  Dr.  Joseph  Addison  Alexander,  "the  most 
learned  man  on  the  continent,"  died.     This  was  a  great  blow 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  199 

to  Princeton.  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  proposed  a  certain  reorgani- 
zation of  the  curriculum,  and  that  Dr.  Dabney  should  be 
carried  to  Princeton,  and  put  into  the  chair  of  Ecclesiastical 
History.  The  correspondence  on  the  subject,  which  has  been 
preserved  in  full,  is  of  great  interest,  being  thoroughly  charac- 
teristic of  these  great  men. 

Dr.  Hodge,  opening  up  his  plans  to  his  distinguished  young- 
brother  in  Virginia,  writes : 

"Princeton,  March  24,  i860. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  You  can  well  understand  what  an  over- 
whelming blow  the  unexpected  death  of  Dr.  Addison  Alexander  was  to 
all  connected  with  this  Seminary.  He  was  our  dependence,  our  delight 
and  our  glory.  And  I  doubt  not  you  have  deeply  sympathized  with  us 
in  our  affliction. 

"Since  his  death  our  minds  have  been  much  and  anxiously  exercised 
as  to  the  methods  of  filling  up  the  breach  which  his  departure  has 
occasioned.  Recognizing  fully  the  sole  right  of  the  Assembly  authori- 
tatively to  decide  that  question,  yet  it  is  an  obvious  necessity  that  the 
friends  of  the  Seminary  should  be  prepared  to  lay  before  that  body 
some  plan  for  their  consideration,  and  not  leave  everything  to  the 
hurried  consideration  of  the  few  hours  which  in  the  multiplicity  of 
their  business  they  can  devote  to  the  subject. 

"There  are  two  conditions  which  in  our  peculiar  circumstances  it 
is  very  important  should  be  met.  First,  Dr.  McGill,  having  Pastoral 
Theology,  Sacred  Rhetoric,  Church  Polity  and  Ecclesiastical  History, 
is  entirely  overburdened.  This  he  feels,  and  earnestly  desires  relief. 
This  is  the  more  necessary  for  two  reasons.  The  one  is  that,  from  dis- 
position and  ability,  he  has  been  led  to  take  upon  himself  a  great  part 
of  the  management  of  the  external  affairs  of  the  Seminary.  This  is 
very  useful  to  us,  but  it  is  very  burdensome  to  him,  requiring 
much  more  than  half  his  time.  The  other  reason  is  that  from 
the  same  causes  he  has  been  led  to  devote  great  attention  to  the 
culture  of  the  students  in  writing,  preaching  and  criticising.  This, 
again,  is  very  useful  to  the  Seminary,  but  it  renders  it  impossible  that 
he  should  be  able  to  satisfy  himself  in  the  conduct  of  the  historical 
department.  One  essential  condition  to  be  met  in  our  prospective 
arrangements,  as  it  appears  to  us,  is  that  Dr.  McGill  should  be  relieved 
of  a  part  of  his  burdens. 

"The  other  is  that  provision  should  be  made  for  filling  the  New 
Testament  department.  Its  language,  literature,  its  canon,  its  vindica- 
tion, its  interpretation,  was  the  field  to  which  Dr.  Alexander  had  devoted 
himself  with  all  his  heart.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance.  It  cannot 
be  neglected  without  the  most  serious  injury  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
Seminary. 

"The  plan,  therefore,  which  the  professors  and  all  the  directors,  so 


200        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

far  as  I  have  ascertained  (with  the  exception  of  Dr.  John  McDowell), 
are  prepared  to  recommend  to  the  Assembly  is  the  appointment  of  two 
professors,  one  for  the  Department  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory, the  other  for  that  of  New  Testament.  Dr.  McDowell,  who  is 
over  eighty  years  old,  is  the  only  director,  so  far  as  I  know,  who  objects 
to  this  plan,  and  he  only  because  it  is  new.  Provision  for  the  support 
of  the  N.  T.  or  additional  professor  is  secured. 

"Now,  my  dear  sir,  would  that  I  could  sit  down  b}-  j'our  side,  or 
even  at  your  feet,  stranger  as  I  am,  and  beg  you,  with  many  prayers 
and  supplications,  to  consent,  should  God  see  fit  to  call  you  to  come 
and  help  us  in  our  great  sorrow  and  need.  To  you,  the  judgment,  the 
hearts  and  desires  of  all  the  friends  of  the  Seminary,  so  far  as  I  have 
been  able  after  extensive  inquiry  to  ascertain,  turn  with  singular 
unanimity.  It  is  to  the  Historical  Department  they  wish  you  to  con- 
sent to  come.  Of  course,  all  we  dare  venture  to  ask  is  that  you  will 
not  forbid  your  name  being  used.  It  is  surely  a  question  worthy  of 
consideration ;  one  which  ought  not  to  be  decided  on  the  impulse  of  the 
moment.  Let  the  voice  of  the  church  sound  in  your  ears  before  you 
close  them.  If  it  were  a  question  whether  it  would  be  pleasanter  to 
you  to  be  here  or  there,  whether  Union  or  Princeton  has  the  stronger 
claims  on  your  heart,  we  would  not  venture  to  say  a  word.  But  as  the 
simple  question  is  whether  you  couM  be  more  useful  in  this  Seminary 
than  in  Union,  whether  you  could  do  more  to  promote  the  glory  of 
our  blessed  Redeemer,  to  advance  his  kingdom,  to  promote  the  union. 
the  efficiency  of  our  church — as  this  is  the  question  which  will  be 
presented  to  your  reason  and  conscience,  and  not  to  your  feelings — 
we  do  hope  that  you  may  be  led,  and,  may  I  say  without  presumption, 
led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  see  the  matter  as  we  see  it.  So  far  as  we 
know  our  own  hearts,  our  earnest  desire  that  you  may  be  brought  to 
accept  of  a  professorship  in  this  Seminary  arises  from  good  motives ; 
from  the  conviction  that  you  would  be  a  blessing  to  the  institution 
and  a  greater  blessing  to  the  church  here  than  in  the  situation  you  have 
so  long  honorably  filled. 

"There  is  one  consideration  which  weighs  with  great  force  on  my 
mind.  You  are  not  only  a  historian,  but  a  theologian.  Dr.  Alexander, 
of  set  purpose,  would  not  turn  his  mind  to  philosophical  or  theological 
subjects.  In  him.  with  his  wonderful  gifts  and  attainments,  and  with 
the  firm  faith  which  he  had  by  early  training  and  by  his  religious  experi- 
ence, in  our  system  of  doctrine,  this  was  of  the  less  account.  He,  how- 
ever, never  wrote  on  any  theological  subject,  never  exerted  himself  in 
the  explication  or  defence  of  our  peculiar  faith  (except,  of  course,  in 
his  expositions  and  lectures),  or  in  the  refutation  of  opposing  views. 
This  dissociation  of  theological  and  historical  learning  is,  of  course,  in 
itself  very  undesirable,  and  their  union  in  your  case  is  one  of  the  many 
reasons  which  satisfy  my  judgment  that  you  are  eminently  qualified 
to  fill  the  post  to  which  we  are  so  anxious  you  may  come. 


First  Years  in  tpie  Chair  of  Theology.  201 

"Much  as  I  have  this  matter  at  heart,  unless  I  am  altogether  de- 
ceived, my  sincere  desire  is  that  the  decision  may  be  made  by  God,  and 
not  by  man,  that  his  will,  and  not  the  judgments  or  wishes  of  men, 
may  be  accomplished. 

"Praying,  therefore,  my  dear  sir,  that  your  own  mind,  and  the  mind 
of  the  Assembly,  may  be  determined  in  the  decision  of  this  question 
by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

"I  am,  with  the  highest  regard,  your  friend  and  brother, 

"Charles  Hodge." 


On  receiving  this  letter,  Dr.  Dabney  at  once  acknowledged 
its  receipt,  and  promised  to  give  answer  after  a  few  days  of 
deliberation.    To  this  note  Dr.  Hodge  replied : 

"Princeton,  March  31,  i860. 

"Rev.  and  De.\r  Sir:  I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  28th 
inst.  It  is  better  than  our  fears,  but  not  so  favorable  as  our  hopes. 
What  I  have  now,  my  dear  sir,  to  beg  of  you  is  simply  to  do  nothing ; 
do  not  forbid  j^our  name  being  used.  You  are  not  obliged  to  do  any- 
thing, and  your  silence  will  not  impose  any  obligation  to  accede  to  the 
wishes  of  the  Assembly  in  the  event  of  your  election.  The  facts  of  the 
case  are  these : 

"i.  You  are  not  only  the  first,  but  the  only  choice  of  the  friends  of 
this  Seminary.  There  is,  as  far  as  I  know,  not  only  perfect  unanimity 
of  judgment,  but  an  earnest  desire  on  the  subject.  Dr.  Spring  is  in  Sa- 
vannah, and  has  not  received  the  letter  of  inquiry  directed  to  him.  Dr. 
McElroy,  Dr.  Philips,  Dr.  Potts,  Dr.  L.  Wilson,  Dr.  Boardman,  Dr. 
Musgrave,  Dr.  Beach  Jones,  Dr.  Bachus,  and  other  friends  of  the 
.Seminary,  have  been  consulted.  There  has  not  been  a  dissenting  voice 
among  all  those  to  whom  we  have  had  access.  The  professors  also  are 
of  one  mind  on  the  subject. 

"2.  Our  Directors  meet  on  the  24th  of  April,  not  on  the  loth  of  May. 
It  is  morally  impossible  that  anything  like  unanimity  could  in  so  short  a 
time  be  brought  about.  No  two  persons  probably  have  their  minds 
turned  in  the  same  direction,  in  the  event  of  your  declining. 

"3.  This  is  a  subject  in  which  the  whole  church  is  interested,  and  on 
which  the  whole  church  should  be  heard.  It  is  not  a  question  to  be 
decided  by  the  friends  of  your  Seminary,  or  by  the  friends  of  this.  If 
the  mass  of  your  brethren  in  the  church  generally  believe  in  the  sight 
of  God  that  j^ou  could  better  serve  the  cause  of  Christ  here  than  else- 
where, that  judgment  ought  to  have  great  weight.  It  is  not  decisive 
on  you.  You  may  know  reasons,  not  before  the  minds  of  your  brethren, 
to  constrain  you  to  differ  from  them.  Still,  as  it  seems  to  me,  you  ought 
-to  allow  the  church  the  opportunity  to  be  heard. 

"4.  I  believe  it  would  be  a  less  evil  to  this  Seminary  for  you  to  de- 


202        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

cline  after  an  election,  than  to  refuse  to  allow  your  name  to  be  used. 
That  is,  it  would  be  far  better  for  us  to  let  the  professorship  remain 
unfilled  for  a  year,  than  to  have  it  filled  by  an  imsuitable  person  chosen 
on  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  and  without  the  cordial  consent  of  judg- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  cHurch. 

"Is  it,  my  dear  sir,  too  much  to  ask  nothing,  to  beg  you  simply  to  be 
silent  and  wait  to  hear  what  God,  by  his  church,  or  through  his  provi- 
dence, or  by  his  Spirit  in  your  own  heart,  may  say — after  time  has 
allowed  for  first  impressions  to  fade  away,  and  first  impulses  to  subside? 
As  all  those  impulses  on  your  part  are  generous  and  pure,  they  are 
entitled  to  all  respect  and  deference ;  but  there  are  other  guides  and 
voices  entitled  to  be  heard.  Pardon  my  importunity  on  this  subject.  I 
have  passed  my  whole  active  life  in  this  Seminary,  and  no  man  now 
living  has  so  much  reason  to  feel  deeply  anxious  as  to  the  character  of 
the  men  who  are  to  fill  the  rapidly  thinning  ranks  of  its  professors. 

"Should  this  letter  reach  you  after  your  having  written  a  second 
time  to  me,  may  I  still  beg  the  favor  of  a  reply  to  it? 

"I  am,  dear  sir,  very  sincerely,  your  friend  and  brother, 

"Charles  Hodge." 

To  this  letter  Dr.  Dabney  replied,  or  rather  to  this  and  tiie 
previous  one  together,  as  follows : 

"Union  Seminary^  Virginia,  April  lo,  i860. 
"Rev.  Cliarlcs  Hodge,  D.  D. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  of  March  31st  reached  me  a 
few  days  ago,  and  before  I  had  written  a  second  time  to  j'ou.  I  beg  you 
to  believe,  my  dear  sir,  that  I  am  truly  distressed  by  the  exigency  which 
seems  to  have  arisen,  and  by  the  scanty  time  which  seems  to  remain  for 
meeting  it.  I  have,  although  conscious  that  the  time  is  very  short  before 
the  meeting  of  your  Board,  retained  your  second  letter  a  few  days,  in 
order  to  give  its  contents  that  serious  and  deliberate  attention,  which 
your  great  and  undeserved  courtesy  to  me,  and  the  gravity  of  the  inter- 
ests at  stake,  both  required.  Inasmuch  as  my  judgment  is  affected  as  it 
is,  I  believe  that  honesty  requires  of  me  that  I  shall  not  comply  with 
your  request  to  'do  nothing,'  and  'to  be  silent.' 

"The  respect  due  from  me  to  your  opinions  and  wishes,  and  to 
those  of  the  great  and  good  men  in  concert  with  whom  you  have  acted 
in  this  matter,  requires  that  I  should  at  least  state  the  operative  reasons 
which  cause  me  to  reach  a  conclusion  opposite  to  yours. 

"Let  me  say,  then,  that  I  am  led  to  it  by  no  affectionate  clamor 
on  the  part  of  brethren  here  against  my  leaving  them.  I  have  con- 
sulted only  one  or  two,  and  they,  I  am  assured,  have  endeavored  to 
look  at  the  question,  as  I  have,  in  the  fear  of  God  alone.  I  might 
attach  some  weight  to  the  considerations  that  in  removing  to  Princeton 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  203 

I  must  finally  rupture  the  ties  of  afifection  and  dependence  which  bind 
me  to  my  servants,  must  see  my  black  household  scattered  abroad, 
to  be  reassembled  no  more,  and  must  subject  my  wife  to  domestic 
arrangements  untried  by  her.  But  ;f  I  know  myself,  I  have  been  able 
to  set  these  considerations  aside  fully  as  much  as  was  righteous.  I 
might  dwell  more  upon  my  collegiate  pastoral  relations,  formed  only 
one  year  ago,  with  an  interesting,  important,  affectionate  people;  which 
I  must  surrender,  and  surrender  to  have  it  replaced  by  no  such  relation 
elsewhere;  so  that  my  removal  would  be  a  final  relinquishment  of  this 
part  of  my  usefulness.  But  I  have  not  made  this  a  prominent  con- 
sideration. I  might  attach  much  weight  also  to  the  peculiar  relations 
between  myself  and  the  Board  and  professors  of  this  Seminary.  The 
Board  took  me  up,  a  young  and  obscure  man,  have  uniformly  treated 
me  with  generous  kindness  and  confidence,  and  have  vigorously  seconded 
my  plans.  My  colleagues  have  all  (except  the  venerable  Dr.  Wilson) 
come  here  largely  at  my  solicitation,  in  compliance  with  which  they 
have  embarked  themselves  in  an  enterprise  of  difficulty  and  doubt.  Does 
not  this  create  some  obligation  on  me  to  stand  by  them?  But  I  know 
that  both  the  Board  and  my  colleagues  would  be  too  generou?  to  exact 
this  of  me,  if  conscience  impelled  me  to  quit  my  post  here.  This,  also, 
I  set  aside,  as  of  comparatively  small  weight. 

"The  true  question,  as  you  have  correctly  stated,  is,  In  which  position 
shall  i  be  likely  to  effect  most  for  Christ  and  his  church?  And  I 
cannot  avoid  the  conviction  that,  so  far  as  our  fallible  wisdom  can 
judge,  the  post  of  superior  usefulness  for  me  is  here.  My  reasons 
for  this  conclusion  may  be  briefly  summed  up  in  this  statement :  that 
by  going  away  I  shall  inflict  an  almost  fatal  injury  on  a  minor  interest 
of  the  church  in  order  to  confer  a  very  non-essential  assistance  on  a 
major  interest  of  the  same  church.  Pardon  me  for  saying,  my  dear 
sir,  that  we  here  know  and  understand  the  interests  of  Princeton  better 
than  Presbyterians  of  the  Middle  and  Western  States  comprehend  those 
of  Union.  The  explanation  is  natural ;  it  is  because  Princeton  is 
deservedly  prominent,  a  centre  of  all  eyes,  while  Union  is  obscure  and 
unobserved.  I,  therefore,  do  not  expect  that  you  will  be  able  to  see 
the  grounds  of  my  reasonings  as  I  see  them.  But  I  may  explain  that 
the  two  great  States,  which  this  Seminary  undertakes  to  supply,  present 
'a  great  and  effectual  door'  for  usefulness,  while  there  are  many  adver- 
saries. God  has  given  us  access  to  the  ears  and  hearts  of  the  people. 
If  we  had  enough  good  laborers,  we  might  do  a  great  and  glorious 
work  in  this  corner  of  the  field  for  our  common  Presbyterianism.  It  is 
enough  to  say,  without  entering  into  details,  that  facts  and  experiences 
have  convinced  us  that  these  laborers  will  not  be  procured  in  sufficient 
numbers,  except  by  the  sustaining  of  a  prosperous  Seminary  in  our 
own  borders.  While  I  would  by  no  means  obtrude  a  vain  estimate 
of  my  own  importance,  I  may  say,  also,  that  my  services  are  obviously 
essential  at  this  time  to  the  hopes  of  this  institution.    Affairs  have  com3 


204        Life  and  Li-:tters  op  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

into  such  a  position,  by  reason  of  circumstances  which  need  not  be 
detailed,  that  my  removal  would  obviously  be  the  knocking  out  of  one 
stone  from  an  arch,  still  uncemented  in  part,  but  promising  an  early 
hardening  into  strength  and  solidity.  This,  so  far  as  man  can  judge. 
Should  it  seem  good  to  the  Sovereign  Disposer  to  remove  me  by  his 
own  immediate  hand,  doubtless  he  would  make  it  all  right.  But  for  us 
to  strike  the  blow  is  surely  a  very  different  thing ! 

"Now,  on  the  other  side,  I  cannot  conceal  it  from  myself  that  the 
larger  and  more  populous  field  of  choice  possessed  by  Princeton  cannot 
fail  to  provide  her  with  a  man  at  least  as  good  as  I  am.  She  is  attrac- 
tive; our  Seminary  is  unattractive.  My  refusal  to  serve  her  will  not 
arrest  her  prosperous  career.  She  will  scarcely  feel  the  jostle;  but  will 
continue  on  her  way,  honored,  well-attended  and  useful.  Here,  permit 
me  to  say,  that  if  we  should  attempt  to  measure  the  relative  prospects 
of  my  usefulness  by  this  fact  alone,  that  there  I  might  aid  in  instructing 
one  hundred  and  seventy  students,  while  here  I  instruct  thirty-six,  we 
should  adopt  a  very  fallacious  standard.  The  true  test  is  this.  Would 
my  presence  at  Princeton  secure  the  presence  of  ten  students  additional 
to  those  who  will  be  there  under  the  good  brother  whom  God  will 
raise  up  for  you  in  place  of  me?  I  suppose  not.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  in  all  human  view,  my  desertion  of  rny  post  here  would  initiate 
changes  which  would  speedily  reduce  our  thirty-six  to  eleven,  the  num- 
ber I  found  here  seven  years  ago,  or  possibly  to  none ;  and  that  in  a 
place  where  a  home-bred  ministry  is  more  direfully  necessary  than  in 
your  section. 

"Again,  we  have  been  laboring  here  under  bitter  discouragements, 
for  many  long  years,  sustained,  impelled  by  the  conviction  which  has 
been  taught  us  by  a  disastrous  experience,  that  without  a  home  supply 
of  young  ministers,  God's  cause  cannot  be  forwarded  in  these  States. 
We  have  struggled  on,  waiting  to  see  whether  God  would  take  pleasure 
in  us  or  not.  Now  that  he  seems  to  smile  on  this  perseverance,  by 
giving  us  more  of  the  favor  of  his  people,  increase  of  students,  and 
usefulness,  surely  it  is  not  the  time  for  us  to  desert  his  work? 

"You  have  more  than  once  intimated  that  a  general  expression  of 
desire  for  my  removal  in  the  General  Assembly  must  have  almost 
decisive  weight  with  me.  Candor  requires  me  to  say,  that  while  such  an 
expression  would  be  extremely  touching  to  me,  as  an  undeserved  and 
unexpected  evidence  of  their  kindness  and  favor,  it  would  not  appear  to 
me  necessarily  decisive;  for  how  can  I  hide  it  from  myself,  that  any 
nomination,  not  .specially  obnoxious,  which  the  venerable  Board  at 
Princeton  might  make,  would  command  very  much  the  same  assent  in 
the  Assembly?  The  vast  preponderance  of  the  alumni  of  your  Seminary 
there  would  naturally  account  for  a  preference  of  the  interests  of  Prince- 
ton over  those  of  Union  ;  but  it  is  my  duty  to  remember  that  our  little 
Seminary  is  also  an  interest  of  the  Assembly,  although  a  much  smaller 
interest,  that  it  was  founded  by  the  Assembly,  and  is  now  governed  and 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  205 

possessed  by  it  (true,  under  a  mode  of  control  somewhat  different), 
and  is  designed  to  further  the  same  cause,  that  of  the  Head  of  the 
church. 

"Last,  I  give  no  little  weight  to  this  thought,  that  I  am  most  probably- 
deciding  as  a  Christian  should,  because  I  am  deciding  contrary  to  the 
promptings  of  ambition,  and,  indeed,  of  nearly  all  the  natural  affections 
of  carnality.  In  the  eyes  of  the  Presbyterians  of  Virginia,  Princeton  is 
ever  esteemed  venerable  and  attractive.  Do  not  suppose,  my  dear  sir, 
that  I  am  insensible  to  her  superiority.  The  man  who  goes  there  and 
does  his  duty,  will  have  his  name  blown  much  further  by  the  trumpet 
of  fame  than  mine  will  ever  be.  He  will  be  in  the  focus  of  national 
observation,  at  least,  for  Presbyterians ;  I  shall  remain  in  comparative 
obscurity.  He  will  teach  the  many,  I  the  few ;  for  I  do  not  dream  that 
your  Seminary  will  cease  to  maintain  the  preeminence  so  honorably 
earned ;  and  especially,  the  faithful  and  useful  man  at  Princeton  will 
probably  receive  that  most  gratifying  of  all  earthly  rewards,  a  united, 
enlightened,  and  steady  support  on  the  part  of  the  proper  constituency 
of  the  Seminary,  which  Presbyterians  in  Virginia  have  not  always  been 
accustomed  to  bestow,  even  on  those  who  attempted  to  serve  them 
faithfully.  I  have  my  eyes  open  to  all  these  things,  and  because  my 
sense  of  duty  outweighs  them,  I  feel  a  good  confidence  that  it  is  con- 
science, and  not  carnality,  which  decides  me. 

"The  statements  which  you  make  in  your  last  letter,  concerning  the 
probable  embarrassments  which  your  Board,  and  your  Seminary  may 
experience,  in  consequence  my  adverse  decision,  have  caused  me  pain. 
Yet  you  will  bear  me  witness,  that  those  embarrassments  will  not  have 
been  procured  by  me.  Of  course,  it  is  neither  courteous  nor  proper  for 
me  to  venture  any  suggestion  as  to  the  mode  in  which  these  difficulties 
may  be  best  disposed  of.  I  cannot  believe  that  they  will  be  found  very 
serious.  My  duty,  I  conceive,  is  discharged  by  giving  you  the  above 
candid  statement  of  my  views.  In  consistency  with  them,  I  cannot 
encourage  you  to  proceed  to  my  nomination  by  your  Board,  and  I  see  no 
reason  whatever  to  believe  that  anything  which  may  emerge,  will 
change  my  judgment  hereafter,  for  such  a  step  can  only  modify  the 
question  of  duty  to  me,  by  creating  a  set  of  motives  and  grounds  for 
solicitation,  purely  fictitious  and  adventitious  to  the  case.  Certainly,  it 
would  be  little  better  than  profanitj^  in  me,  to  procure  the  creation  of 
these  new  circumstances,  against  my  present  sincere  views  of  duty,  ajid 
then  plead  them  as  the  'leadings  of  Providence.' 

"So  much  of  my  thoughts  as  may  be  proper  I  would  request  you  to 
communicate  to  your  friends,  in  order  to  clear  me  from  the  appearance 
of  inattention  or  discourtesy  towards  their  request.  That  request  I  feel 
'  to  be  kind  and  honorable  to  me  far  above  my  deserts.  I,  therefore,  beg 
that  you  will  communicate  to  them,  and  accept  for  yourself  my  gratitude 
for  your  favorable  opinion,  and  for  the  manner  of  its  expression. 
■'I  remain,  with  aft'ectionate  respect,  your  friend  and  brother. 

"R.  L.  Dai'.nev." 


2o6        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Dr.  Hodge  replied  to  this  letter  at  considerable  length,  com- 
bating some  of  Dr.  Dabney's  arguments,  and  expressing  him- 
self as  in  favor  of  his  Board's  going  on  with  the  election  of 
Dr.  Dabney,  notwithstanding  his  discouragements. 

Dr.  McGill  undertook  to  champion  further  the  cause  of 
Princeton  in  the  following  manner : 

"Princeton,  May  3,  i860. 
Rev.  R.  L.  Dahney,  D.  D. 

"My  Dear  Sir:  You  are  doubtless  aware,  by  this  time,  of  your  nomi- 
nation by  our  Board  of  Directors.  It  was  at  my  request  that  Dr.  Hodge 
wrote  to  you  first  on  this  subject,  and  I  have  heartily  concurred  in  all 
the  urgency,  with  which  the  position  has  been  tendered  to  you,  thus  far. 
As  the  matter  more  immediately  concerns  me  than  any  one  else,  it  being 
my  own  chair  that  is  divided,  you  will  appreciate  my  solicitude  as 
natural  and  just,  when  I  venture  to  ask  you  for  some  more  definite 
expression  of  your  mind,  before  we  go  on  with  an  election  at  the  As- 
sembly. It  is  of  the  greatest  moment  to  me,  in  regard  to  health  and 
happiness,  as  a  professor  in  this  institution,  that  we  be  not  disap- 
pointed, or  obliged  to  go,  for  another  year,  without  filling  this  post. 

"If  your  acceptance  must  be  despaired  of,  it  is  my  purpose  not  to 
relinquish  the  historical  chair,  but  the  practical,  believing  that  the  latter 
can  be  more  easily  filled,  if  we  are  compelled  to  choose  a  professor  from 
the  list  of  our  pastors. 

"Of  course,  a  change  like  this  in  our  plans  would  need  a  little  time 
for  conference  and  deliberation.  I  do  not  ask  you  to  make  a  formal  and 
definite  decision,  but  merely  to  intimate  enough  to  set  my  own  mind  at 
rest,  respecting  your  favorable  disposition.  It  may  be  just  as  private 
as  you  please.  No  one  knows  of  this  letter  to  you  but  myself.  I  should 
say,  however,  that  many  of  the  Directors  expect  you  to  make  some 
explicit  intimation,  before  the  matter  is  canvassed  by  the  General  As- 
sembly, especially  if  it  be  your  determination  to  decline.  I  confess  that 
your  correspondence  with  Dr.  Hodge  discouraged  me ;  but  I  now  share 
with  others  a  hope  that  the  nomination  made  by  our  Board,  and  farther 
reflection  and  prayer,  may  have  modified  the  tone,  which  I  thought  un- 
favorable. 

"No  one  would  exult  more  than  myself  in  your  accession  to  Prince- 
ton, and  none  would  feel  your  refusal  to  come  a  more  grievous  and 
oppressive  disappointment.  Hence  my  unwillingness  to  prosecute  an 
object  so  hopeless,  as  I  would  consider  your  coming  to  be,  without  more 
encouragement  than  came  to  us  before  the  meeting  of  our  Board. 
"With  great  respect  and  fraternal  love,  yours, 

"Alexander  T.  McGill." 

In  answer  to  this  letter,  Dr.  Dabney  wrote: 


P^iRST  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  207 

'"Union  5"eminary^  Va.,  Afay  8,  i860. 
-Rev.  Alex.  T.  McGill,  D.  D. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  Permit  me,  in  reply  to  your  letter  received 
yesterday  evening,  to  express  my  high  sense  of  the  undeserved  kindness 
and  good  opinion  which  you  have  shown  towards  me.  The  one  painful 
thing  connected  with  the  subject  of  your  letter  is,  that  I  should  feel 
compelled  to  seem  too  little  sensible  to  the  great  honor  done  me  by 
the  Faculty  and  Board  of  your  Seminary.  But  if  I  did  not  feel  assured 
that  I  am  of  far  less  importance  and  account  than  your  preference  would 
make  me,  this  circumstance  would  be  far  more  painful. 

"Let  me  thank  you  warmly,  my  dear  sir,  for  the  justice  you  do  me 
(more  than,  I  fear,  some  of  your  directors  are  disposed  to  do  me),  in 
testifying  to  the  real  tenor  of  my  letter  to  Dr.  Hodge.  Had  I  received 
that  meed  of  confidence  which  you  accord  me,  viz.,  to  be  supposed 
to  mean  just  zvhat  I  said,  would  any  one  have  been  misled  by  me,  when 
I  used  this  language?  'In  consistency  with  them'  (my  views  of  duty),  'I 
cannot  encourage  you  to  proceed  to  my  nomination  by  your  Board;  and 
I  see  no  reason  whatever  to  believe  that  anything  which  may  emerge 
will  change  my  judgment  hereafter.  For  such  a  step  can  only  modify  the 
question  of  duty  to  me,  by  creating  a  set  of  motives  and  grounds  for 
solicitation,  purely  factitious  and  adventitious  to  the  case.  Certainly, 
it  would  be  little  better  than  profanity  in  me  to  procure  the  creation 
of  these  new  circumstances,  against  my  present  sincere  views  of  duty, 
and  then  plead  them  as  the  'leadings  of  Providence.' 

"It  seems  that  my  course  in  preparing  this  avowal,  with  a  full  review 
of  the  reasons  which  led  me  to  it,  has  been  misapprehended.  Had  I  said 
the  substance  of  the  above,  sans  phrases,  I  should  probably  have  received 
the  credit  of  being  in  earnest.  But  because  my  high  respect  for  the 
great  and  good  name  of  Rev.  Charles  Hodge,  and  the  venerable  men 
on  whose  behalf,  he  stated,  he  was  writing  to  me,  induced  ine  to  shun 
the  appearance  of  a  discourteous  insensibility  to  their  judgment,  by 
unfolding  the  solemn  considerations  which  seem  to  me  at  this  time  to 
hedge  up  my  way,  it  is  probable  some  have  understood  me  as  insinuating 
a  willingness  to  carry  on  a  coquettish  debate  upon  the  question  of  my 
removal,  thus  keeping  it  still  open.  Let  me  again  thank  you  that  you 
have  not  thus  misapprehended  me.  And,  for  the  satisfaction  of  any 
others,  I  can  but  repeat  the  substance  of  what  I  said  to  Dr.  Hodge; 
that,  with  my  present  views  of  duty,  I  eould  not  go  to  Princeton  if 
elected  by  the  General  Assembly,  and  that  I  see  nothing  in  the  future 
which  is  likely  to  change  them,  at  this  time. 

"You  mention,  my  dear  sir,  that  your  writing  to  me  is  not  known 
to  any  one;  and  that  my  answer  to  you  tnay  remain,  if  I  desire  it, 
■equally  private.  I  have  no  desire  whatever  to  make  it  confidential ;  but 
would  prefer  that  all  who  are  entitled  to  know  should  be  again  informed 
of  my  views. 

"But  I  must  most  emphatically  enter  my  protest  against  the  justice 


2o8  LiFK  AND   LiaXKR.S  OF   RoiiERT   LeNVIS   DaBNEV. 

of  that  expectation,  which  you  say  many  directors  entertain,  that  I 
should  give  some  explicit  intimation  of  what  I  propose  to  do  before 
the  matter  is  canvassed  in  the  General  Assembly.  I  protest  against 
the  censure  on  my  proposed  reticence  implied  in  such  an  expectation  ; 
first,  because  I  have  already  given,  as  I  conceived,  an  explicit  intimation  ; 
and,  second,  because  Dr.  Hodge,  writing  on  behalf  of  leading  directors, 
requested  me  urgently  not  to  give  such  intimation,  if  it  was  likely  to  be 
adverse ;  "to  do  nothing,"  to  remain  passive  and  silent.  And  he  dis- 
tinctly declared  that,  even  if  my  final  conclusions  were  to  be  negative, 
he  would  rather  the  matter  should  go  to  actual  election  in  the  General 
Assembly  than  be  arrested  by  my  negative  at  an  earlier  stage;  because 
he  thought  it  better  that  the  chair  should  remain  empty  one  year  than 
that  I  should  decline  at  that  stage.  Such  having  been  the  requests  made 
from,  and  on  behalf  of,  Princeton,  when  I  proceeded,  against  these 
requests,  to  'volunteer'  an  'intimation'  wliich  I  endeavored  to  make 
explicit,  in  my  bungling  way,  I  cannot  permit  any  one  to  hold  me 
responsible  for  any  subsequent  disappointment  arising  out  of  my  final 
negative.  I  take  them  to  witness  that  I  expressly  precluded  all  hope 
of  any  other  final  answer  than  a  negative,  in  terms  as  positive  as  my 
sense  of  the  courteous  permitted  me  to  use. 

"If  I  may  be  permitted  to  express  an  opinion  on  a  point  which 
belongs  to  you  rather  than  to  me,  I  would  add  that  I  fully  concur  in 
the  wisdom  of  your  views ;  that  the  plans  of  the  Board  as  to  me  ought 
yet  to  be  modified  before  the  Assembly  acts  upon  them.  And  the  change 
far  the  most  acceptable  to  me  would  be  to  simply  retract  my  nomina- 
tion and  substitute  some  other. 

"Should  any  embarrassment  result  to  you  from  these  transactions. 
or  to  your  Faculty,  I  shall  sincerely  lament  it ;  but  I  cannot  believe 
that  Princeton,  with  its  many  attractions  and  wide  field  of  choice,  will 
find  any  difficulty  in  securing  those  who  will  serve  her  far  better  than 
I  could. 

"With  sincere  and  fraternal  regards,  I  remain,  yours,  etc., 

R.   L.   Dabxey. 

Others  than  nieinbers  of  the  Faculty  and  Board  of  Directors 
of  Princeton  were  pleading  with  him  to  go  to  Princeton.  For 
example,  his  friend,  David  Comfort,  Esq.,  writes : 

"If  you  want  my  honest  opinion  as  to  your  fitness  for  the  situation,  I 
will  frankly  say  that  I  know  no  man  in  the  entire  South  that  can  fill 
it  as  well ;  none  that  would  be  more  cordially  received,  or  that  could  pro- 
bably exert  a  more  healthful  and  conservative  influence  in  the  institu- 
tion, and  through  it  on  the  Northern  section  of  the  church.  I  am  not 
given  to  flattery,  as  you  know,  but  speak  my  honest  convictions.  I 
believe  that  you  would  more  than  satisfy  public  expectation,  and  that, 
I  need  not   say,   is  high.     If  you  had  sought  the  situation,   directly  or 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Tiieolocv.  209 

indirectly,  my  views  would  probably  have  been  modified.  As  it  is,  I 
think  I  see  plainly  the  finger  of  God  in  the  thing.  When  I  first  heard 
of  the  movement  being  contemplated,  I  involuntarily  remarked,  'Dabney 
won't  come;  he  is  entirely  too  Virginian  in  his  feelings.  And  yet  I 
verily  believe,  if  they  could  get  him,  it  would  be  the  very  best  thing 
for  the  Seminary  that  could  happen.'  And  to  the  belief  expressed 
in  the  last  sentence  I  adhere  with  increasing  confidence.  If  I  did  not 
think  so,  I  would  tell  you  so." 

Dr.  Dabney  was  not  a  man  to  noise  abroad  a  call  which  he 
did  not  propose  to  accept.  He  consulted  a  few  men,  in  whose 
judgment  he  had  great  confidence.  Amongst  them  was  the 
Rev.  William  Brown.  D.  D.  Dr.  Brown  wrote  to  him  that, 
after  full  reflection,  he  had  never  come  to  a  clearer  and  more 
decided  conclusion  in  any  important  matter,  and  that  his  con- 
clusion was  this.  viz..  "You  ought  not  to  go  to  Princeton,  or 
anywhere  else,  so  far  as  I  can  see."  He  says  that  he  has  no 
doubt  that  Dr.  Dabney  can  maintain  himself,  be  very  useful, 
and  add  largely  to  his  reputation  in  Princeton;  but  that  he 
brings  "the  case  to  a  most  positive  and  absolute  decision  on  this 
ground  alone,  were  there  no  other,  viz..  Your  removal  from 
Union  Seminary  would  be  equivalent  to  its  abandonment.  Of 
this  I  feel  well  assured,  and  say  it  in  all  sincerity."  He  con- 
tinues : 

'•You  know  well  the  trials  through  which  Union  has  passed,  and 
among  them  has  been  that  of  very  frequent  changes.  Just  now,  we  are 
beginning  to  inspire  the  churches  with  unwonted  confidence  in  its  sta- 
bility, and  all  know  that  your  connection  with  it  is  contributing  more 
to  its  name  than  that  of  any  one  else.  The  occasion  requires  I  should 
say  this.  I  could  not  tell  you  how  utterly  disastrous  to  its  rising  pros- 
pects would  be  the  fact  of  your  leaving  it,  at  the  very  moment  when  it 
has  the  prospect  of  better  days,  and  a  complete  instruction.  I  am  sin- 
cere, and  I  believe  correct  when  I  declare  it  is  my  decided  opinion  that 
such  a  step  would  likely  result  in  tlic  formal  abandonnicnt  of  Union: 
if  not  that  at  once,  it  would  so  completely  dishearten  us  all  that  such 
would  be  the  case  in  a  short  time.  It  all  comes  to  this,  if  Union  Semi- 
nary is  to  go  on  and  live,  yoil  must  stay  and  live  with  it." 

Drs.  Moses  D.  Hoge  and  T.  V.  Moore,  stirred  up  bv  rumors 
that  reached  them  to  fear  that  he  might  go  to  Princeton,  try  to 
dissuade  him  from  the  step.  Dr.  Moore  wrote,  on  the '9th  of 
May,  i860,  arguing  most  urgently  against  his  leaving  Union 
Seminary.  Pie  says : 
14 


2IO        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"The  fate  of  Presbyterianism  in  Virginia  is  bound  up  in  that  Semi- 
nary, the  one  falls  with  the  other.  Your  removal  will  kill  the  Seminary, 
to  all  intents  and  purposes,  and  with  it  the  future  of  Presbyterian- 
ism in  Virginia.  This  would  not  be  an  immediate  result,  but  a  sure 
one." 

He  argues  his  position  vigorously,  and  asks  whether  God 
calls  him  "to  inflict  such  a  blow  on  the  institution  and  church." 
He  says  that  men  will  wonder  whether,  beneath  consciousness. 
at  least,  Dr.  Dabney  is  not  moved  by  ambition  if  he  goes,  and 
that  he  will  lose  largely  of  his  influence  for  good ;  that  he  does 
not  suit  "Princeton,  with  its  starch,  red  tape,  and  studied  cul- 
ture of  the  proprieties  and  finicalities  of  things" ;  and  that 
Princeton  will  not  suit  him ;  that  he  will  be  unhappy  there,  and 
soon  pine  for  the  more  genial  atmosphere  of  Virginia ;  that  his 
present  position  is  more  honorable  and  useful  than  that  offered 
in  Princeton,  and  that  the  political  state  of  the  country  makes  it 
the  duty  of  every  son  of  the  State  to  cling  to  her. 

This  letter  was  written  the  day  after  Dr.  Dabney's  decisive 
reply  to  Dr.  McGill.  Had  his  friends  known  him  a  little  better, 
they  would  have  given  themselves  no  uneasiness.  He  under- 
stood the  situation  with  sufficient  clearness,  and  seems  never  to 
have  had  any,  even  temporary,  inclination  to  move  North. 
Amongst  his  colleagues,  Dr.  B.  M.  Smith  seems  to  have  ex- 
pected him  to  go  to  Princeton,  and  to  have  deemed  him  foolish 
in  declining.  The  venerable  Dr.  Wilson  was  much  troubled 
by  the  calls,  and  while  they  were  pending,  proposed,  one  day,  a 
walk  with  his  young  colleague.  His  object  was  to  remonstrate 
against  Dr.  Dabney's  leaving  Union  Seminary.  He  argued 
that  if  he  should  go,  the  Seminary  would  lose  its  real  support. 
and  collapse ;  that  he  must  not  pull  down  the  work  of  his  own 
hands.  Dr.  Dabney  at  once  relieved  him,  by  telling  him  that 
he  was  not  going  at  all.  Dr.  Wilson  expressed  his  pleasure, 
and  also  his  surprise,  and  asked  for  a  statement  of  the  grounds 
on  which  he  would  refuse  to  go.  Dr.  Dabney  set  them  forth  in 
a  manner  that  the  reader  of  the  previous  pages  can  easily  con- 
jecture, laying  emphasis,  however,  on  the  political  situation. 
He  declared  that  the  Abolitionists  would  probably  have  forced 
the  country  into  a  war  between  the  sections  before  he  could  get 
a  (fair  start  in  Princeton  ;  and  that  he  could  not  "side  with  the 
fanatics  and  usurpers  against  his  own  state  and  people."  Dr. 
Wilson  expressed  surprise  at  this  view  as  to  the  imminence  of 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  211 

war.    He,  in  common  with  the  mass  of  Southerners  at  the  time, 
saw  nothing  of  the  kind  close  ahead. 

While  very  much  afraid  that  war  was  inevitable  and  impend- 
ing, Dr.  Dabney  saw  that  it  was  his  duty,  and  that  of  Christian 
ministers  and  people,  to  do  all  that  was  ri^ht  in  the  circum- 
stances to  stop  it;  and,  with  his  usual  energy  and  singular 
devotion,  he  toiled  to  assuage  the  bitterness  between  the  sec- 
tions, and  to  bring  about  a  peaceful  readjustment,  under  the 
blessing  of  God.  Gifted  with  more  than  the  ordinary  powers 
of  forecast,  he  had,  as  has  been  shown,  as  far  back  as  1856, 
published,  as  an  editorial  in  the  Central  Presbyterian,  an  article 
headed,  "Christians,  pray  for  your  country."  In  this  paper  he 
showed  that  disunion  was  imminent,  that  the  national  passions 
of  the  Free  Soil  party  were  ''clothing  themselves  in  the  garb  of 
religion,"  and  becoming  "as  ungovernable  as  a  storm,  and  as 
implacable  as  death."  "Already,"  he  says,  "do  the  low  mutter- 
ings  of  the  rising  cloud  of  civil  war  come  from  our  Western 
border.  Let  that  cloud  break  forth  into  the  thunder  of  battle, 
and  before  the  winds  have  swept  its  roar  to  the  Atlantic,  the 
angry  passions  now  smouldering  in  magazine  will  be  lit  into 
universal  blaze,  as  if  by  the  touch  of  lightning.  Let  those 
weapons,  now  pointed  against  each  other  in  angry  array,  be 
once  lifted  up  to  the  nation,  reeking  with  fratricidal  slaughter, 
and  the}-  will  muster  the  foemen  from  North  and  South  to  the 
battle,  like  the  fiery  red  cross  of  Clan-Alpine."  In  the  second 
place,  he  showed  that  if  disunion  should  come,  it  must  be 
accompanied,  or  followed,  by  war;  that  such  a  rupture  could 
not  come  peacefully,  that  two  republics  could  not  arise  quietly 
in  the  place  of  one.  He  showed  again  that  the  war  must  be  "the 
most  bitter  of  all."  "The  very  nearness  and  intimacy  make 
each  more  naked  to  the  other's  blow."  "How  fatal  the  blows, 
when  the  republican  hardihood  and  chivalry,  the  giant  strength 
and  the  teeming  wealth,  which  begin  to  make  the  mightiest 
despots  respectful,  are  turned  against  each  other !  Some  among 
us  seem  fond  of  placing  the  relative  prowess  of  North  and 
South  in  odious  comparison.  Brothers,  should  we  not  rather 
weep  tears  of  blood  at  the  wretched  and  wicked  thought,  that 
the  common  prowess,  which  hath  so  often  made  North  and 
South,  side  by  side,  carry  dismay  and  rout  into  the  ranks  of 
common  enemies,  that  terrible  prowess,  which,  in  North  and 
South  alike,  withstood  all  the  force  of  the  British  lion  while  we 
were  yet  in  the  gristle  of  our  youth,  and  which,  ever  since,  has 


212        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney, 

overthrown  and  broken  and  pierced  every  enemy  with  the  lion's 
force,  and  the  swiftness  of  the  king  of  birds  combined,  should 
hereafter  expend  its  might  in  fratricidal  blows."  He  asks: 
''Christians  of  America,  will  ye  sufifer  this?"  And  in  noble  and 
powerful  language,  he  exhorts  them  to  toil  for,  and  pray  to  the 
Prince  of  Peace  to  give  our  country,  peace. ^ 

But  war  was  to  come,  and  it  had  drawn  near  in  the  fall  of 
]86o.  Virginia  Christian  patriots  were  in  a  state  of  profound 
sorrow  and  anxiety.     Mr.  Lincoln  had 

■"been  nominated  upon  an  open  free  soil,  and  a  covert  abolition  platform. 
His  opponents  were  fatally  divided  under  three  leaders.  The  old  line 
Whigs,  who  had  not  gone  over  to  Free  Soilers,  nominated  John  Bell, 
of  Tennessee,  and  Mr.  Everett,  of  Boston,  upon  the  naked  platform  of 
the  Constitution  and  Union.  This,  of  course,  meant  nothing,  and 
pledged  them  to  nothing.  They  seem  to  have  been  actuated  simply 
by  their  old  hatred  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  only  result  was  that 
they  drew  oflf  enough  votes  to  defeat  the  Conservative  candidate  and 
insure  the  election  of  the  usurper.  The  Democratic  party  was  also 
fatally  divided  by  the  cunning  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who,  after  mak- 
ing a  great  following  for  himself  by  professing  equal  justice  to  both 
sections,  led  his  people  oflf  into  virtual  support  of  abolition  by  the 
rascally  evasion  of  squatter  sovereignty.  Of  course,  all  sensible  men 
foresaw  Lincoln's  election.  This  would  place  us  between  two  cruel 
anxieties.  On  the  one  hand,  Lincoln,  when  elected,  would  wrest  the 
Federal  Government  into  an  agency  for  the  disgrace  and  oppression 
of  the  South — a  course  full  of  deadly  danger  to  the  Union  and  the 
peace  of  the  country.  On  the  other  hand,  we  feared  that  the  Gulf 
States,  maddened  by  this  prospect,  would  act  too  rashly  and  hastily, 
and  so  compromise  their  righteous  cause.    Both  evils,  in  fact,  happened." 

Under  the  circumstances  thus  depicted  by  Dr.  Dabney  him- 
self, the  Synod  of  Virginia  met  in  Lynchburg,  in  October,  i860, 
and  elected  him  as  Moderator.  The  Synod,  with  great  solem- 
nity, appointed  the  Sabbath  before  the  federal  election  as  a  day 
of  fasting  and  prayer,  and  ordered  each  minister  to  preach  a 
sermon  upon  the  duty  of  Christians  as  peace-makers.  This 
seems  to  have  been  the  result  of  Dr.  Dabney 's  work,  in  large 
part.  He  had  felt  long  the  duty  of  this  sort  of  effort.  In  the 
previous  summer  he  seems  to  have  contemplated  an  address  to 
the  Southern  States,  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  most  distin- 

*  This  noble  paper  may  be  found  in  the  Discussions,  Vol.  II.,  pp. 
393  ff-;  :i"d  should  be  read. 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  213 

guished  Christian  ministers  of  the  South,  but  the  scheme  failed 
of  encouragement.  The  spirit  of  secession  was  in  the  air.  In 
pursuance  of  the  injunction  of  the  Synod,  he  preached  in  the 
College  Church,  on  the  first  Sunday  of  November,  on  "The 
Christian's  Best  Motive  for  Patriotism,"  from  the  text,  "Be- 
cause of  the  house  of  our  Lord  thy  God,  I  will  seek  thy  good" 
(Psalm  cxxii.  9).  In  this  sermon  he  begins  with  teaching  that 
the  Christian  has  a  motive  for  patriotism  far  stronger  and 
holier  than  those  of  all  other  men.  Out  of  his  consuming 
desire  for  the  welfare  of  the  cause  and  kingdom  of  Christ,  he 
is  to  pray  for  peace  in  such  a  country  as  ours.  Seasons  of 
political  agitation,  and,  much  more,  seasons  of  war,  are  unfa- 
vorable to  spiritual  prosperity.  Having  shown  this  by  a  bril- 
liant historical  argument,  he  declares,  "In  the  sight  of  heaven's 
righteous  Judge,  I  believe  that  if  the  Christianity  of  America 
now  betrays  the  interests  of  men  and  God  to  the  criminal  hands 
which  threaten  them,  its  guilt  will  be  second  only  to  that  of  the 
apostate  church,  which  betrayed  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and 
its  judgment  will  be  rendered  in  calamities  second  only  to  those 
which  avenged  the  divine  blood  invoked  by  Jerusalem  on  herself 
and  her  children."  Next,  he  asks,  "How,  then,  shall  Christians 
seek  the  good  of  this  country  for  the  church's  sake?"  He 
answers :  "First,  by  everywhere  beginning  to  pray  for  their 
country,  and  along  with  this,  making  humble  confession  of  their 
sins,  individual  and  social ;  second,  by  carrying  their  Chris- 
tianity into  every  act  of  their  lives,  political  or  otherwise;  by 
carrying  'Christian  conscience,  enlightened  by  God's  Word.' 
into  political  duty  as  had  not  been  done  hitherto;  obeying  the 
law  of  God  rather  than  the  unrighteous  behests  of  party ; 
choosing  out  of  all  the  people  able  men,  such  as  fear  God,  men 
of  truth,  hating  covetousness,  and  placing  such  to  be  rulers 
over  them."    Wrestling  along  this  line,  he  breaks  out : 

"Now,  I  say  to  you  in  all  faithfulness,  that  the  reckless  and  incapable 
men  whom  you  have  weakly  trusted  with  power  or  influence,  have 
already  led  us  far  on  towards  similar  calamities.  They  have  bandied 
violent  words,  those  cheap  weapons  of  petulent  feebleness ;  they  have 
justified  aggression;  they  have  misrepresented  our  tempers  and  prin- 
ciples ;  answered,  alas !  by  equal  misrepresentations  and  violence  in  other 
quarters,  until  multitudes  of  honest  men,  who  sincerely  suppose  them- 
selves as  patriotic  as  you  think  yourselves,  are  really  persuaded  that  in 
resisting  your  claims  they  are  but  rearing  a  necessary  bulwark  against 
kiwless  and  arrogant  aggressions.     Four  years  ago  an  instance  of  unjust 


214        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  DAB^fEY. 

and  wicked  insolence  was  avenged  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  by  an  act  of  ill-judged  violence.  And  now,  not  so  much 
that  rash  and  sinful  act  of  retaliation,  but  the  insane,  wicked  and  insult- 
ing justification,  abhorred  and  condemned  by  almost  all  decent  men  in 
our  section,  is  this  day  carrying  myriads  of  votes  of  men  who,  if  not 
thus  outraged,  might  have  remained  calm  and  just  towards  us,  for 
the  cause  whose  triumph  you  deprecate.  Thus  the  miserable  game  goes 
on  until  at  last  blood  breaks  out,  and  the  exhausted  combatants  are 
taught  in  the  end  that  they  are  contending  mainly  for  a  misunder- 
standing of  each  other."  "Last,"  he  says,  "every  Christian  must  study 
the  things  that  make  for  peace.  All  must  resolve  that  they  must  de- 
mand of  others  nothing  more  than  their  necessary  rights,  and  that  in 
the  tone  of  moderation  and  forbearance.  Yea,  that  they  will  generously 
forego  all  except  what  duty  forbids  them  to  forego,  rather  than  have 
strife  with  brethren." 

This  sermon  was  printed,  and  extensively  circulated  through 
many  channels  in  both  sections.  The  author  was  subsequently 
mortified  to  find  that  in  certain  quarters  the  sermon  was  used 
"with  the  design  of  encouraging  aggression,  by  the  hope  that 
Southern  Christians  would  constrain  their  section  to  be  acquies- 
cent under  any  aggression  whatever."  It  was  printed  at  the 
unanimous  request  of  the  male  part  of  the  author's  congrega- 
tion, and  may  be,  therefore,  assumed  to  have  been  fairly  repre- 
sentative of  their  opinions.  A  few  months  after,  nearly  every 
one  of  these  persons  (who  was  not  beyond  military  age)  was 
in  arms. 

Dr.  Dabney  does  not  seem  to  have  looked  on  his  own  later 
eft'orts  in  the  direction  of  pacification  as  likely  to  be  very  fruit- 
ful. He  writes  to  his  mother,  on  the  28th  of  December, 
t86o: 

"I  feel  sick  at  heart  at  the  state  of  the  country.  I  have  been  attempt- 
ing, in  my  feeble  way,  to  preach  peace,  and  to  rouse  Christians  to  their 
duty  in  staying  the  tide  of  passion  and  violence.  I  have  received  many 
letters  from  men  in  the  North,  chiefly  ministers,  such  as  Drs.  Hodge, 
Sprague,  Plumer,  etc.,  giving  the  strongest  assurance  of  moderate 
intentions  on  the  part  of  all  the  better  people,  assuring  me,  in  the  most 
solemn  terms,  that  the  present  congressmen  from  the  Northern  States 
do  not  represent  the  feelings  of  the  people  there ;  and  that  if  the  South 
would  unite  calmness  with  firmness  in  demanding  the  arrest  of  the 
Abolition  agitation,  they  would  succeed.  /  fully  believe  this;  I  know  it. 
But  the  people  will  not  believe  it.  The  very  Christians  seem  to  have 
lost  their  senses  with  excitement,  fear  and  passion ;  and  everything 
seems  hurrying  to  civil  war.     Dr.  Plumer  says  in  his  letter  that  he  is 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  215 

too  desperate  to  make  another  attempt,  having  failed  in  his  most  solemn 
and  earnest  appeals  to  the  people  to  pause;  and  that  he  confidently 
expects  to  see  civil  war  of  the  most  dreadful  kind  in  a  few  months. 
I  had  been  more  hopeful  before  this,  believing  that  surely  the  people 
could  not  be  so  forsaken  of  God  and  their  own  senses,  as  to  go  to 
cutting  each  others'  throats  for  no  possible  benefit.  But  when  such 
men  at  the  North  as  he  and  Dr.  Prime  say  so,  I  begin  to  think  that  they 
know  the  temper  of  the  Northern  people  best,  and,  therefore,  see  the 
danger.  They  still  say  that  three-fourths  of  the  people  there  are  for 
peace;  but  we  seem  to  be  given  up  of  God,  and  the  violent  ones  have 
it  all  their  own  way.  As  for  South  Carolina,  the  little  impudent  vixen 
has  gone  beyond  all  patience.  She  is  as  great  a  pest  as  the  Abolitionists. 
And  if  I  could  have  my  way,  they  might  whip  her  to  her  heart's  con- 
tent, so  they  would  only  do  it  by  sea,  and  not  pester  us." 

Notwithstanding  his  fears,  he  continued  his  efforts.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1 86 1,  he  prepared  a  paper  entitled,  "A  Pacific  Appeal  to 
Christians."  It  was  "an  address  to  the  clergy  and  laity  of  the 
Christian  churches  of  the  country,"  a  vigorous  and  splendid 
appeal  for  moderation,  calmness  and  Christian  patience,  on  the 
part  of  both  sections  : 

'The  great  sectional  questions  which  divide  the  opinions  of  the  North 
and  the  South  seem  at  length  to  have  reached  their  crisis.  One  State 
has  formally  retracted  its  allegiance  to  the  Union,  others  are  preparing 
to  follow,  and  a  tempest  of  excitement  shakes  the  nation.  We  are  in  the 
-midst  of  a  revolution,  only  bloodless  as  yet.    .    .     . 

"All  Southern  Christians  would  deplore  an  unnecessary  rupture  of 
the  Federal  Union  bequeathed  to  us  by  our  heroic  sires,  as  marring 
their  glorious  work,  and  showing  ourselves  unworthy  of  their  inherit- 
ance ;  as  bringing  the  gorgeous  promise  of  the  'Empire  Republic'  to  an 
•early  and  ignominious  close ;  as  plunging  the  country  into  the  inevitable 
evils  of  financial  distress,  and  but  too  probably  into  the  horrors  of  fre- 
quent wars;  as  inaugurating  on  this  hitherto  peaceful  continent  the 
jealous  political  system  of  Europe,  with  its  balance  of  power,  its  enor- 
mous standing  armies,  its  crushing  taxation,  and,  ultimately,  its  despotic 
governments;  as  covering  the  claims  of  American  Christianity  and 
republicanism  with  failure  and  disgrace  before  the  world;  as  destroying 
■our  national  weight  and  glory,  and  thus  our  personal  security  abroad; 
as  disappointing  the  hopes  of  self-government  throughout  the  nations, 
and  justifying  the  claims  of  tyranny;  as  bringing  innumerable  con- 
fusions, disruptions  and  disaster  upon  the  churches  of  Christ,  and  as 
arresting  the  beneficent  labors  of  one-third  of  the  missionaries  and 
teachers,  and  drying  up  a  similar  portion  of  the  charities  which  now 
carry  life  to  the  perishing  souls  of  the  heathen.  Surely  he  who  would 
Tisk  even  the  possibility  of  a  result  so  dire,  unless  impelled  to  do  it 


2i6        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

by  causes  absolute  and  inexorable,  hath  not  the  heart  of  a  Christian, 
nor  even  of  a  man.     Do  these  causes,  then,  exist?    .     .     . 

"May  not  patience  and  serious  discussion  in  the  presence  of  interests 
so  solemn  and  tremendous  dissipate  those  misconceptions?  Is  there 
not  still  ground  to  hope  that  if  the  Southern  people  would  carefully 
avoid  complicating  their  righteous  cause  by  any  undue  haste,  or  by 
impinging  upon  existing  laws,  or  even  prejudices,  more  than  the  abso- 
lute necessities  of  self-defence  require;  if  the  great  issue  were  carried 
back  from  embittered  party  leaders  to  the  body  of  the  citizens,  disen- 
cumbered of  all  other  questions  of  a  change  of  administration  and  of 
public  wealth  which  were  recently  mixed  with  it;  if  the  North  were 
asked  whether  she  would  yield  to  us  a  generous  and  fair  construction 
of  our  equal  rights,  and  in  the  future  punctually  observe  it,  or  whether 
she  would  force  us  to  an  unwilling  but  necessary  self-defence  outside 
the  Union,  the  answer  would  be  one  which  would  restore  peace  to 
an  anxious  country? 

"Now,  we  would  humbly  urge  upon  you,  dear  brethren  of  the  South, 
whether  it  is  not  due  to  our  country,  to  our  race,  to  our  God,  and  due 
especially  to  the  noble  men  who  are  entreating  us  to  give  them  one 
more  opportunity  to  achieve  our  rights  and  peace  for  us  by  the  weapons 
of  argument,  that  we  should  withhold  the  irreparable  step  as  long  as 
there  is  a  spark  of  hope?  And  to  our  brethren  of  the  North  and  South 
alike,  we  would  say,  when  that  final  step  is  so  solemn  and  may  be  so 
awful,  should  not  every  honorable  means  for  avoiding  its  necessity  be 
exhausted  by  the  good  man  before  he  takes  it  ?    .    .    . 

"Let  us,  then,  all  study  moderation  of  political  sentiment,  of  resent- 
ments and  of  language.  Let  us  keep  a  watch  before  the  door  of  our 
lips,  lest  some  needless  word  issue  forth  to  exasperate  what  is  already 
too  angry.  Let  us  see  to  it  that  we  do  not  initiate  the  sin,  nor  share  the 
guilt  of  those' who  have  perverted  the  sacred  influences  of  Christianitj- 
to  sanctify  their  malignant  feelings.  Let  the  Sabbath,  with  its  sacred 
calm,  be  reserved  more  jealously  than  ever  for  topics  truly  divine,  in 
order  that  its  recurring  sanctities  may  aid  in  tempering  the  excitement 
of  the  people.  For  this  is  the  w'se  ordinance  of  him  who  'made  the 
Sabbath  for  man,'  that  this  weekly  breach  in  the  current  of  our  secular 
cares,  and  the  sobering  and  elevating  contrast  of  heavenly  contempla- 
tions might  prevent  the  flow  of  earthly  passions  from  becoming  morbid 
and  chafing  the  soul  into  frenzy.  It  is  usually  found  that  wherever  the 
excitements  of  our  weekly  debates  are  allowed  to  intrude  into  the  sanc- 
tuary, the  pulpit  and  the  Sabbath,  a  feverisli  exasperation  of  popular 
feeling  results.     .     .     . 

"Is  disunion,  is  civil  war,  Iieforc  us — a  civil  war  whose  atrocities 
may  appall  the  world?  The  wisest  hearts  admit  the  fear.  Let  each 
man,  then,  place  himself  now,  before  it  is  too  late,  in  the  midst  of  the 
possible  horrors  of  that  fratricidal  war;  let  him  bring  ])efore  his  mind 
a  country  ravaged ;  its  fields,  late  smiling  with  plenty,  stained  by  battle 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  217 

and  the  carnage  of  fellow-citizens  and  brethren  of  a  common  Chris- 
tianity; its  cities  sacked  or  deserted;  its  peaceful  homes  desolated,  and 
its  order  displaced  by  fierce  anarchy;  and  let  him  ask  himself  whether, 
as  he  stands  amidst  the  ruins,  he  will  be  able  to  take  heaven  to  witness 
that  none  of  its  guilt  is  in  his  skirts.  Let  each  man  remember  that  he 
must  answer  at  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ  for  his  conduct  as  a  citizen, 
and  see  to  it  that  when  he  meets  there  the  ghosts  of  all  that  shall  be 
slain,  of  all  the  wives  that  shall  be  widowed,  of  all  the  children  that 
shall  be  consigned  to  orphanage  and  destitution,  of  all  the  hoary  parents 
that  shall  be  bereaved  of  their  sons  in  this  quarrel,  and  of  all  the 
ignorant  damned  through  our  neglect,  while  we  were  waging  the  work 
of  mutual  destruction,  he  shall  be  able  to  appeal  to  the  Searcher  of 
Hearts  that  none  of  it  was  his  doing;  that  every  whit  of  this  moun- 
tainous aggregate  of  guilt  belongs  to  his  adversaries,  and  not  to  him- 
self; that  he  had  exhausted  every  righteous  expedient  and  exerted  every 
lawful  power  to  avoid  it.  If,  brethren,  you  can  do  this,  it  will  be  well 
with  you,  however  ill  it  may  be  with  our  miserable  country.  But  if 
not,  who  can  estimate  that  guilt !  But,  blessed  be  God,  all  is  not  yet 
lost."^    , 

'  To  this  "Appeal"  were  appended  the  following  signatures : 

Samuel  B.  Wilson,  D.  D.,  Professor  and  President  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Virginia. 

John  M.  P.  Atkinson,  D.  D.,  President  Hampden-Sidney  College. 

B.  M.  Smith,  D.  D.,  Professor  Union  Theological  Seminary,  Vir- 
ginia. 

Robert  L.  Dabney,  D.  D.,  Professor  Lnion  Theological  Seminary, 
Virginia. 

Rev.   T.    E.    Peck,   D.   D.,    Professor  Union   Theological    Seminar}', 
Virginia. 

Rev.  Henry  Snyder,  Professor  Hampden-Sidney  College. 

Rev.  William  Brown,  D.  D.,  Editor  of  Central  Presbyterian. 

Rev.  George  D.  Armstrong,  D.  D.,  Presbyterian  Church,  Norfolk. 
Va. 

Rev.  Jacob  D.  Mitchell,  D.  D.,  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Lynch- 
burg, Va. 

Rev.  James  C.  Clopton,  Pastor  of  African  Church,  Lynchburg,  Va. 

Rev.  Josiah  Clift,  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  Lynchburg,  Va. 

James  B.  Ramsey^,  D.  D.,  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Lynchburg,  Va. 

Drury  Lacy,  D.  D.,  late  President  Davidson  College,  North  Caro- 
lina. 

At  the  University  of  Virginia. 

W.  H.  McGuffey,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy. 

John  B.  Minor,  Professor  of. Common  and  Statute  Law. 

H.  How.\RD.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Medicine. 

S.  Maupin,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry. 

M.  Schele  De  VerEj  Professor  of  Modern  Languages. 


2i8        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

In  March,  1861,  this  paper  appeared  in  the  Central  Presby- 
terian. It  met  with  no  proper  response.  Within  a  few  weeks, 
Mr.  Lincoln's  usurpations  had  converted  all  the  signers  into 
staunch  war  men. 

Other  productions  looking  to  pacification  had  come  from  his 
pen  in  this  period.  He  felt  keenly  his  responsibilities  as  a 
minister  in  regard  to  the  great  crisis.  He  had  nothing  to  say 
of  politics  while  acting  in  his  ministerial  capacity,  but  he  held 
up  the  great  virtues  which  were  likely  to  be  forgotten  in  the 
mad  excitement  of  the  time.  He  endeavored  to  be  a  "brake" 
on  the  movement  for  war.  He  condemned  those  preachers  who 
turned  their  sermons  into  political  speeches.     He  commended 

Lexington,  Va.,  January  14,  1861. 

We,  the  undersigned,  cordially  concur  in  the  general  tone  of  senti- 
ment and  feehng  expressed  in  the  foregoing  paper : 

Rev.  William  N.  Pendleton,  D.  D.,  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  Epis- 
copal. 

Rev.  F.  C.  Tebbs,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Rev.  William  S.  White,  D.  D.,  Presbyterian  Church. 

Rev.  George  Junkin,  D.  D., 


Faculty  of  Washington  College^ 
Virgviia. 


Prof.  J.  L.  Campbell, 

Prof.  A.  L.  Nelson, 

Prof.  C.  J.  Harris, 

Prof.  James  J.  White, 

John  T.  L.  Preston,  Virginia  Military  Institute. 

T.  J.  Jackson,  Professor,  Virginia  Military  Institute. 

Randolph  Macon  College,  Virginia. 

While  we  love  the  Union,  and  deplore  the  calamities  which  so  seri- 
ously threaten  our  country,  and  while  we  truly  appreciate  the  truly 
Christian  forbearance  and  sentiments  of  justice  embodied  in  the  fore- 
going address,  we  must  be  allowed  to  say  that  we  believe  that  nothing 
short  of  the  decisive  measures  now  before  the  people  of  the  Southern 
States  will  cause  many  of  our  intelligent  and  calculating,  but  tardy, 
yet  doubtless  true,  friends  at  the  North  to  realize  the  fact  that  we  are 
in  earnest  in  asserting  our  rights  under  the  Constitution  and  our  beliefs 
on  the  moral  aspects  of  the  questions  involved.  And  if  these  remedies 
fail  to  save  the  Union,  we  are  still  willing  to  take  them  as  the  least 
of  impending  evils,  with  a  firm  persuasion  that  we  are  not  responsible 
for  the  ultimate  results. 

Wm.  a.  Smith,  D.  D.,  President  of  Randolph-Macon  College. 

Ph.  W.  Archer,  Presiding  Elder  of  Randolph-Macon  College. 

George  H.  Ray,  Chaplain  of  Randolph-Macon  College. 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  219 

ihe  faithfulness  of  Dr.  Thornvvell  for  having  stood  up  in  the 
very  capital  of  South  Carolina,  on  their  fast  day,  and  telling 
the  people,  in  a  sermon  without  a  word  of  secession  in  it  (al- 
though, to  his  grief,  Thornvvell  was  early  a  secessionist),  of 
their  sins  of  violence,  swearing,  bragging,  and  neglect  of  duty 
to  their  black  people. 

His  work  of  attempted  pacification  was  much  commended  by 
noble  men  North  and  South.  As  specimens  of  the  letters  of 
commendation  received,  two  may  be  presented,  one  from  each 
section : 

"University  of  Virginia,  January  14,  1861. 

"My  Dear  Sir:  When,  some  weeks  ago,  I  read  your  sermon"  in  the 
Intelligencer,  I  meant  to  have  written  to  you  to  express  my  earnest 
sympathy,  approval  and  delight,  but  the  pressure  of  other  matters  put 
it  out  of  my  mind.  The  address  to  Southern  Christians  sent  from 
\^our  Seminary  to  Dr.  McGufifey,  to  be  signed  by  Christians  here,  in 
which  I  think  I  see  your  hand- prints,  reminds  me  of  what  I  and  the 
country  owe  you  for  the  sermon,  and  constrains  me  to  thank  you,  with 
a  full  heart,  for  the  powerful  appeals  both  papers  make  to  the  disciples 
of  our  blessed  Lord. 

"Wild  and  frantic  as  our  countrymen  have  become,  I  cannot  but 
liope  for  a  good  impression,  even  now,  from  such  an  address  to  our 
believing  brethren.  Christians  have  a  fearful  responsibility  for  the 
present  exasperation,  which  very  few  of  my  acquaintances  seem  to 
realize.  Forgetful  that  the  "wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteous- 
ness of  God,"  they  are  so  far  from  exercising,  by  exhortation  or  exam- 
ple, any  wholesome  restraint  upon  the  passions  of  their  neighbors  and 
associates,  that  they  are  amongst  the  foremost,  frequently,  in  kindling 
resentment  for  real,  and  often  for  fancied,  grievances  by  inflammatory 
representations.  They  act  as  if  they  thought  that  malignity  and  revenge, 
if  only  cherished  toward  a  people,  were  admissible  sentiments,  and  that 
Christ's  benediction  upon  the  'peace-makers'  was  either  antiquated,  or, 
at  all  events,  was  limited  in  practice  to  the  discords  of  individuals. 

"If  at  this  moment  every  true  believer  would  come  out  from  the 
world,  and,  in  the  spirit  of  his  divine  Master,  would  exercise  only  half 
the  forbearance  and  patience  which  he  enjoins,  and  would  at  the  same 
time  'lift  up  holy  hands,  without  doubting,'  ere  a  moon  had  waxed 
and  waned  we  should  emerge  from  the  well-nigh  hopeless  gloom  which 
now  surrounds  us,  and  be  on  the  way  to  a  just  and  peaceful  settlement 
of  this  terrible  strife. 

"The  interests  of  Virginia  and  of  the  other  border  States  plead  so 
overwhelmingly  for  an  adjustment  that  I  cannot  despair.  I  would  not 
have  this  beloved  and  revered  Commonwealth  sacrifice  aught  of  true 

'  This  was  the  sermon  of  November,  i860,  on  Psalm  cxxii.  9. 


220        Life  axd  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

honor,  nor  purchase  an  ignominious  peace  at  the  expense  of  self- 
respect.  We  must  protect  and  defend  our  institutions  and  property : 
but  surely,  surely  it  is  not  the  best,  inuch  less  the  only,  way  to  do  that 
to  plunge  into  the  volcanic  crater  of  civil  war  before  we  have  ex- 
hausted every  constitutional  and  peaceful  resource !  My  head  and  heart 
sicken  at  the  thought  of  what  seems  to  me  almost  the  possessed  mad- 
ness of  many  of  our  people,  and  of  whole  communities  in  the  cotton 
States.  To  welcome  disunion  with  guns  and  bonfires  and  illumina- 
tions!  To  hasten  to  'cry  [baltle(  ?)  ],'  without  even  proposing  terms  of 
arrangement ! 

"I  particularly  approved  the  animadversion  in  the  address  on  political 
preaching.  In  most  cases  a  political  preacher  is  a  demagogue,  and 
when  he  is  not,  the  example  is  pernicious.  Can  we  conceive  of  Paul 
as  the  author  of  such  a  sermon?  Surely  it  is  but  for  a  minister,  like 
Paul,  to  know  nothing  amongst  his  flock  'but  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified' ! 

"Pray,  my  dear  sir.  let  not  your  pen  be  idle.  During  the  interval 
before  the  convention  is  chosen  much  may  be  done  to  rouse  the  Chris- 
tian heart  of  Virginia  to  its  sober,  religious  duty,  and  not  a  little  during 
the  deliberations  of  the  Assembly,  and  the  subsequent  deliberations  of 
the  people  upon  its  action.  The  result  will  depend,  under  God,  mainly 
on  Christian  men- — the  view  they  take  and  the  course  they  pursue.  I 
don't  mean  as  to  the  merits  of  whatever  controversy  may  arise,  but 
in  respect  of  the  spirit  and  temper  with  which  the  crisis  shall  be  met. 
"With  sincere  regard.  I  am,  truly  yours, 

"John  B.  Minor," 


"E>        n      n  7  "New  Yorf,,  15  April,  1861. 

Kei'.  Dr.  Uabney:  '    ^      i 

"Mv  Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  of  the  uth  reached  me  to-day.  It  will 
be  a  matter  of  interest  to  me  to  suggest  and  to  press  the  publication 
of  your  letters  at  the  North.  If  you  have  an  extra  copy  of  them  to 
spare,  I  would  thank  you  to  send  it  to  me,  that  I  may  read  and  submit  it. 

"Inter  Arnia  leges  silent,  and  I  fear  that  the  day  is  past  when  truth 
or  reason  will  be  heard. 

"We  are  in  the  midst  of  war !  And,  I  fear,  a  bitter,  implacable  war. 
to  be  handed  down  to  generations  yet  to  come.  Fanaticism  has  be- 
gotten it,  and  there  is  no  fury  out  of  hell  more  fearful  and  more  hateful 
than  the  spirit  of  religious  hate.     God  help  us  and  bring  us  out. 

"While  you  were  writing  to  me,  the  guns  were  sounding  the  dcaih- 
knell  of  our  Union  and  happiness. 

"Of  course,  the  border  States  will  go  witii  the  cotton  States.  The 
worst  of  wars — interstate — will  come,  and  social,  civil  and  national  ruin. 

"Can  we  do  nothing,  even  now,  to  stay  the  curse?  Would  it  be 
practicable  for  private  individuals  to  invoke  the  interposition  of  some 
foreign  power,  like  France,  to  mediate  between  the  North  and  South? 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  221 

"The  North  will  be  a  unit  for  war.  Money  by  millions,  men  by 
hundreds  of  thousands,  are  ready. 

"But,  come  what  may,  let  us  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit ;  let  us 
enjoy  the  communion  of  saints.  And,  whether  we  have  one  country 
or  two,  I  shall  ever  be  j^our  friend  and  brother, 

"S.  I.  Prime." 

Though  averse  to  talking  poHtics  promiscuously,  Dr.  Dabney 
entertained  decided,  as  well  as  profound,  views  on  most  ques- 
tions of  statecraft.  His  views  on  affairs  imminent  in  1861,  are 
set  forth  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge,  of  Richmond,  Va. : 

"January  4,  1861. 

"Dear  Brother  Hoge:  I  employ  a  part  of  the  leisure  of  this  fast- 
day  afternoon,  to  answer  your  kind  letters,  reciprocate  your  affectionate 
wishes  for  me  and  mine,  and  explain  my  views  somewhat  on  public 
affairs.  It  is  from  God  that  all  domestic  security  has  proceeded,  in 
more  quiet  times,  though  at  such  times  our  unthankfulness  causes  us 
more  to  overlook  his  good  hand ;  and  his  power  and  goodness  must  be 
our  defence  now,  to  cover  us  and  our  feeble  households  'under  his 
feathers.' 

"My  conviction  has  all  along  been  that  we  ministers,  when  acting 
ministerially,  publicly,  or  any  way  representatively  of  God's  people  as 
such,  should  seem  to  have  no  politics.  Many  reasons  urge  this.  One 
of  the  most  potent  is,  that  else  their  moral  power  (and,  through  their 
fault,  the  moral  power  of  the  church)  to  act  as  peace-makers  and 
mediators,  will  be  lost.  I  thought,  too,  that  I  saw  very  plainly  that 
there  was  plenty  of  excitement  and  passion ;  that  our  people  were  abun- 
dantly touchy  and  wakeful  concerning  aggression,,  and  that  there  were 
plenty  of  politicians  to  make  the  fire  burn  hot  enough  without  my  help 
to  blow  it.  Hence,  my  public  and  professional  action  has  been  only 
that  of  a  pacificator;  and  that  only  on  Christian  (not  political)  grounds 
and  views.  I  believe  that  in  this  humble  attempt  I  have  done,  and  am 
doing,  a  little  good,  which  my  God  will  not  forget,  although  it  may, 
alas !  seem  for  the  present  to  be  swallowed  up  in  the  overmuch  evil. 
The  day  will  reveal  it.' 

"But  I  have  my  politics  personally,  and  at  the  polls  act  on  them. 
They  are  about  these :  I  voted  for  Breckinridge,  fully  expecting  to  be 
beaten  ;  and,  therefore,  preferring  to  be  beaten  with  the  standard-bearer 
most  theoretically  correct.  But  if  I  had  seen  that  Bell,  or  even 
Douglass,  had  a  chance  to  beat  Lincoln,  I  could  have  voted  for  either. 
T  have  considered  the  state  of  Northern  aggression  as  very  ominous 
for  many  years  (as  you  know,  having  stronger  views  of  this  four  years 
ago  than  most  of  our  people).  But  I  do  not  think  that  Lincoln's  elec- 
tion makes  them  at  all  more  ominous  than  they  were  before.  I  believe 
that   we   should   have   effectually   check-mated   his   administration,    and 


222        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

have  given  the  Free  Soil  party  a  "thundering"  defeat  in  1864.  Hence. 
I  considered  Lincoln's  election  no  proper  casus  belli,  least  of  all  for 
immediate  separate  secession,  which  could  never  be  the  right  way  under 
any  circumstances.  Hence,  I  regard  the  conduct  of  South  Carolina  as 
unjustifiable  towards  the  United  States  at  large,  and  towards  her 
Southern  sisters,  as  treacherous,  wicked,  insolent  and  mischievous.  She 
has,  in  my  view,  zvorstcd  the  common  cause,  forfeited  the  righteous 
strength  of  our  position,  and  aggravated  our  difficulties  of  position  a 
hundredfold.  Yet  regard  to  our  own  rights  unfortunately  compels  us 
to  shield  her  from  the  chastisement  which  she  most  condignly  deserves. 
But,  even  in  shielding  her,  we  must  see  to  it,  as  we  believe  in  and 
fear  a  righteous  God,  that  we  do  no  iniquity  as  she  has  done.  For 
instance:  the  power  of  a  federal  government  to  fight  an  independent 
State  back  into  the  Union  is  one  thing;  the  right  of  that  government 
to  hold  its  own  property,  fairly  paid  for  and  ceded  (the  forts),  is 
another  thing.  Take  South  Carolina's  own  theory,  that  she  is  now 
a  foreign  nation  to  the  United  States,  and  rightfully  so;  how  can  it 
be  the  duty  of  the  President,  or  of  Congress,  sworn  to  uphold  the 
laws,  to  surrender  the  soil  and  property  of  the  United  States  to  a 
foreign  nation  insolently  and  threateningly  demanding  them;  and,  with 
a  sauciness  almost  infinite,  saying  to  the  United  States,  'You  shall  not 
take  any  additional  measures  to  defend  your  own  property;  if  you  do. 
we  will  fight.'  Hence,  if  I  were  king  in  Virginia,  I  would  say  to  the 
President,  'You  are  entitled,  as  head  of  the  United  States,  to  hold  the 
forts;  to  strengthen  your  garrisons;  to  do  anything  defensive  in  them 
you  choose,  till  they  lawfully  change  owners  by  equal  purchase.  If 
you  are  assailed,  beat  them  oft ;  and  their  blow  be  on  their  own  heads.' 
But  if  an  attempt  were  made  to  subdue  South  Carolina  herself,  without 
iirst  offering  to  her  such  a  redress  of  her  federal  grievances  as  zvould  be 
satisfactory  to  the  moderate,  just  majority  of  her  Southern  sisters,  I 
would  say,  'Hands  off !'    'At  your  peril !' 

"Now,  you  may  say,  this  is  all  theoretically  right ;  but  it  is  all  out 
of  date  at  this  crisis;  the  crisis  is  too  dangerous  to  admit  of  ethical 
niceties;  we  must  'go  it  blind,'  and  stand  or  fall  with  South  Carolina. 
I  reply,  it  is  never  too  late  or  too  dangerous  to  do  right.  Verily,  there 
is  a  God  who  judgeth  in  the  earth.  How  can  we  appeal  to  him  in  the 
beginning  of  what  may  be  a  great  and  arduous  contest,  when  we  sig- 
nalize its  opening  by  a  wrong?  Besides,  if  we  are  to  do  anything  pros- 
perously or  wise,  we  must  clear  ourselves  before  the  great  mass  of  the 
Union-loving,  God-fearing  men  of  the  North,  of  this  wanton  breach  of 
Federal  compacts,  and  disregard  of  vested  rights,  which  South  Carolina 
is  trying  to  commit. 

"But  I  greatly  fear  the  temper  of  our  people  is  no  longer  considerate 
enough  to  place  themselves  thoroughly  in  the  right  in  this  matter.  In 
view,  then,  of  the  actual  state  of  affairs,  justifiable  or  unjustifiable,  I 
would  say  that  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  ought,   on   the  first  day  it 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  223 

meets,  to  call  a  State  Convention.  It  ought  also  to  take  immediate 
steps  for  a  concert  of  the  Southern  States,  to  be  well  knit  as  soon  as 
their  several  State  Conventions  can  elect  commissioners;  to  present  a 
united  front  to  the  North,  for  two  objects — to  demand  firmly  our  rights 
within  the  Union,  and  to  limit  any  Federal  or  Northern  collision  with 
South  Carolina  within  the  limits  I  have  defined  above.  This  congress 
of  commissioners  should  also  have  a  sort  of  alternative  power  given 
them,  to  be  used  only  on  condition  that  an  extra  session  of  Congress 
passes  a  force  bill  under  Lincoln;  and,  in  that  event,  to  declare  our 
allegiance  to  the  Federal  Union  suspended  till  such  measures  are  relin- 
quished; and  to  organize  adequate  means  of  self-defence.  And  this 
alternative  power  they  should  use  promptly,  in  that  event.  Meantime, 
each  State  Legislature  should  diligently  provide  for  self-defence. 

"I  have  thought,  ever  since  the  secession  movement  began  in  South 
Carolina,  that  the  idea  of  a  tertium  quid,  or  central  Confederacy  as 
a  temporary  arrangement,  might  be  useful.  But  this  on  two  conditions : 
that  any  attempts  or  diplomatic  overtures  to  construct  it  should  not  for 
a  moment  supersede,  but  only  proceed  abreast  with  our  preparations 
for  the  dernier  resort;  and  that  the  border  slave  States  should  utterly 
refuse  to  enter  it,  except  on  a  basis  liberal  enough  to  them  to  assure 
their  interests  unquestionably,  and,  moreover,  to  digust  New  England, 
and  prevent  her  accession  to  it  for  awhile. 

"Once  more:  we  should  all  remember  that  America  is  one  in  race, 
in  geography,  in  language,  in  material  interests.  Even  if  we  angrily 
divide,  there  will  be  powerful  interests  drawing  us  together  again,  after 
the  wire-edge  of  our  spite  is  worn  off.  Every  good  man,  even  after 
separation  seems  inevitable,  should  try  to  act  with  a  view  to  the  speediest 
reunion." 

It  is  clear  from  his  letters  that  he  remained  stoutly  opposed 
to  secession  until  Mr.  Lincoln's  unlawful  and  fatal  call  for 
volunteers  to  coerce  South  Carolina  and  the  other  seceding 
States.  He  was  in  wide  correspondence  with  leading  ministers 
in  both  sections.  He  saw  them  drifting  away  from  him  in 
politics.     Thornwell  had  written  : 

"Theological  Seminary,  November  24,  i860. 
"My  Dear  Brother:  I  sympathize  most  cordially  with  you  in  the 
profound  interest  which  you  take  in  the  present  condition  of  public 
affairs.  It  is  a  time  of  blasphemy  and  rebuke ;  a  time  in  which  our  only 
hope  is  in  the  merciful  providence  of  God.  I  have  reflected  as  maturely 
and  as  prayerfully  upon  the  duty  of  the  South  in  the  present  crisis 
as  I  am  capable  of  reflecting  upon  any  subject.  My  opinions  have  been 
calmly,  solemnly  and  dispassionately  formed.  I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot 
concur  with  you  in  your  contemplated  scheme  of  an  address  to  the 
Southern  States.     The  effect  of  such  a  measure  would  be  to  delay  the 


224        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

secession  of  the  South,  and,  as  that  is  inevitable,  the  sooner  it  is  brought 
about  the  better.  It  is  impossible  to  live  any  longer,  with  security 
and  self-respect,  in  the  present  Union.  The  election  of  Lincoln  is  the 
straw  that  has  broken  the  camel's  back;  and  if  we  submit  to  it,  we  are 
degraded  beyond  the  possibility  of  recovery.  It  is  a  virtual  abrogation 
of  the  Constitution,  and  a  proclamation  to  all  .the  world  that  the  slave- 
holding  States  are  to  be  treated  as  conquered  provinces.  That  unceas- 
ing efforts  will  be  made  to  excite  insurrections  among  us,  to  render 
our  property,  our  homes,  our  lives  insecure ;  that  agitators  will  pass  in 
various  disguises  and  under  various  pretexts  through  the  country,  stir- 
ring up  the  slaves  to  arson  and  murder ;  that  a  feverish  state  of  feel- 
ing will  be  produced  among  ourselves,  likely  to  terminate  in  the 
remorseless  extinction  of  the  negro  race,  are  results  as  certain  as  the 
moral  causes  which  have  long  been  at  work  in  this  direction,  and  which 
have  acquired  a  new  impulse  from  the  recent  triumph  of  the  Republican 
party.  We  owe  it  to  our  negroes  to  protect  them  from  their  friends, 
as  well  as  to  ourselves,  to  protect  our  own  dignity. 

"In  several  respects  the  government  needs  a  reconstruction.  It 
cannot  work  as  it  now  stands.  An  issue  must,  therefore,  be  made : 
and  I  see  not  how  it  can  be  done  without  secession.  Conventions  will 
end  in  nothing,  until  some  decisive  step  is  taken.  My  judgment,  there- 
fore, is  clear,  that  the  time  has  come  when  each  State  should  act  inde- 
pendently and  for  itself.  When  the  separation  has  been  effected,  then 
let  the  States  that  are  one  in  principle  and  interests  unite  and  form  a 
new  government. 

"I  am  not  insensible  to  the  dangers  of  the  crisis.  I  feel  our  need 
of  prayer,  of  divine  guidance  and  protection.  But  to  me  the  greatest 
danger  is  that  of  submission  to  Lincolh's  election.  I  wish  the  people 
of  Virginia  could  see  their  way  clear  to  hoist  the  standard  of  Southern 
rights,  and  to  lead  us  in  this  most  necessary  revolution. 

"I  have  just  preached  a  fast-day  sermon.  It  will  soon  be  published, 
and  you  may  look  for  a  copy. 

"Present  my  most  cordial   remembrances  to  Peck. 

"Most  sincerely, 

"J.  H.  Thornwell." 

Dabney  wa.s  aboard  the  noble  ship,  Our  Rights  within  the 
Union.  It  was  being  deserted  daily.  He  remained  aboard  till 
imrig^hteous  war  had  been  instituted  by  the  North.  When 
Mr.  Lincoln  commenced  his  war  of  coercion  against  the  States, 
Dr.  Dabney  wrote  one  more  remonstrance  to  the  Northern 
Christians,  entitled,  "Letter  to  the  Rev.  S.  I.  Prime,  qn  the 
State  of  the  Country."  He  had  professed  all  along  to  be  a 
staunch  friend  to  justice  and  the  South.  Dr.  Dabney  asked  him 
to  print  the  letter  in  the  New  York  Observer,  of  which  he  was 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  225 

an  editor.  He  found  this  inexpedient.  The  letter  was  pubUshed 
in  the  Richmond  papers  in  April,  1861,  and  widely  in  the  South. 
An  association  of  gentlemen  subsequently  published  it  in  pam- 
phlet form,  under  the  conviction  that  it  would  prove  serviceable 
to  religion  and  patriotism,  and  feeling  that  it  spoke  for  them, 
as  well  as  for  the  author.  In  this  paper,  the  writer  changes  his 
tone,  from  one  of  solenm  and  affectionate  entreaty  to  one  of 
stern  defiance.  It  was  a  vindication  of  Virginia's  right  to  go 
to  war  against  the  Federal  Government  at  Washington.  Con- 
stitutional Union  men  accepted  it  as  their  defence  for  turning 
into  war  men. 

This  famous  letter  was  written  during  the  Spring  Meeting 
of  West  Hanover  Presbytery,  at  Amherst  Courthouse,  in  a 
chamber  at  Mr.  John  Robertson's  whose  guest  Dr.  Dabney  was 
at  the  time.  It  was  thrown  off  in  a  single  impromptu  effort,  but 
it  was  nevertheless  the  outcome  of  indefinite  pondering.  As 
defining  his  position,  and  that  of  such  men  as  Lee,  and  Jackson, 
and  Jefferson  Davis,  and  Alexander  Stephens,  et  id  omne  genus, 
constitutional  Union  men,  it  deserves  reproduction  here : 

"Rev.  S.  I.  Prime,  D.  D.:  ^/""^'^  20,  1861. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  took  occasion,  as  you  will  remem- 
ber, in  lifting  up  my  feeble  voice  to  my  fellow-Christians  on  behalf  of 
what  was  once  our  country,  to  point  out  the  infamy  which  would 
attach  to  the  Christianity  of  America  if,  after  all  its  boasts  of  numbers, 
power,  influence  and  spirituality,  it  were  found  impotent  to  save  the 
land  from  fratricidal  war.  You  have  informed  your  readers  more  than 
once  that  you  feared  it  was  now  too  late  to  reason.  Then,  I  wish, 
through  you,  to  lay  this  final  testimony  before  the  Christians  of  the 
North,  on  behalf  of  myself  and  my  brethren  in  Virginia,  that  the  guilt 
lies  not  at  our  door.  This  mountainous  aggregate  of  enormous  crime, 
of  a  ruined  Constitution,  of  cities  sacked,  of  reeking  battle-fields,  of 
scattered  churches,  of  widowed  wives  and  orphaned  children,  of  souls 
plunged  into  hell;  we  roll  it  from  us,  taking  the  Judge  to  witness, 
before  whom  you  and  we  will  stand,  that  the  blood  is  not  upon  our 
heads.  When  the  danger  first  rose  threatening  in  the  horizon,  our  cry 
was,  'Christians  to  the  rescue.'  And  nobly  did  the  Christians  of  Vir- 
ginia rally  to  the  call.  Did  you  not  see  their  influence  in  the  patriotic 
efforts  of  this  old  Commonwealth  to  stand  in  the  breach  between  the 
angry  elements  ?  Yes,  it  was  the  Christians  of  Virginia,  combined  with 
her  other  citizens,  who  caused  her  to  endure  wrongs,  until  endurance 
ceased  to  be  a  virtue;  to  hold  out  the  olive  branch,  even  after  it  had 
been  spurned  again  and  again;  to  study  modes  of  compromise  and 
conciliation  until  the  very  verge  of  dishonor  was  touched:  to  refuse 
15 


226        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

to  despair  of  the  republic,  after  almost  all  else  had  surrendered  ail 
hope,  and  to  decline  all  acts  of  self-defence,  even,  which  might  precipi- 
tate collision,  until  the  cloud  had  risen  over  her  very  head,  and  its 
lightnings  were  about  to  burst.  So  long-suffering,  so  reluctant  to 
behold  the  ruin  of  that  Union  to  which  she  contributed  so  much,  has 
Virginia  been,  that  many  of  her  sons  were  disgusted  by  her  delays, 
and  driven  to  fury  and  despair  by  the  lowering  storm  and  the  taunts 
of  her  enemies.  And  those  enemies  (woe  to  them  for  their  folly) 
mistook  this  generous  long-suffering,  this  magnanimous  struggle  for 
peace,  as  evidence  of  cowardice !  They  said  the  "Old  Mother  of  States 
and  Statesmen"  was  decrepit ;  that  her  genius  was  turned  to  dotage ; 
that  her  breasts  were  dry  of  that  milk  which  suckled  her  Henrys  and 
her  Washingtons.  They  thought  her  little  more  than  a  cowering 
beldame,  whom  a  timely  threat  would  reduce  to  utter  submissiveness. 
And  thus  they  dared  to  stretch  over  her  head  the  minatory  rod  of 
correction !  But  no  sooner  was  the  perilous  experiment  applied  than 
a  result  was  revealed,  as  unexpected  and  startling  as  that  caused  by  the 
touch  of  Ithuriel's  spear.  This  patient,  peaceful,  seemingly  hesitating 
paralytic  flamed  up  at  the  insolent  touch  like  a  pyramid  of  fire,  and 
Virginia  stands  forth  in  her  immortal  youth,  the  'unterrified  Common- 
wealth' of  other  days,  a  Minerva  radiant  with  the  terrible  glories  of 
policy  and  war,  wielding  that  sword  which  has  ever  flashed  before  the 
eyes  of  aggressors,  the  'Sic  semper  tyrannis.'  Yes,  the  point  of  farthest 
endurance  has  been  passed  at  length.  All  her  demands  for  constitu- 
tional redress  have  been  refused ;  her  magnanimous,  her  too  generous 
concessions  of  right,  have  been  met  by  the  insolent  demand  for  uncon- 
ditional surrender  of  honor  and  dignity ;  her  forbearance  has  been 
abused  to  collect  armaments  and  equip  fortresses  on  her  border  and 
on  her  own  soil  for  her  intimidation ;  the  infamous  alternative  has  been 
forced  upon  her  either  to  brave  the  oppressor's  rod  or  to  aid  him  in 
the  destruction  of  her  sisters  and  her  children,  because  they  are  con- 
tending nobly,  if  too  rashly,  for  rights  common  to  them  and  to  her ; 
and,  to  crown  all,  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  has  been  rent 
in  fragments  by  the  effort  to  muster  new  forces,  and  wage  war  without 
authority  of  law,  and  to  coerce  sovereign  States  into  adhesion,  in  the 
utter  absence  of  all  powers  or  intentions  of  the  Federal  compact  to 
that  effect.  Hence,  there  is  now  but  one  mind  and  one  heart  in  Vir- 
ginia ;  and  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Atlantic,  from  the  sturdy  mountaineers, 
and  her  chivalrous  lowlanders  alike,  there  is  flung  back  in  high  disdain 
the  gauntlet  of  deathless  resistance.  In  one  week  the  whole  State  has 
been  converted  into  a  camp. 

"Now  once  more,  before  the  Titanic  strife  begins,  we  ask  the  con- 
servative freemen  of  the  North,  For  what  good  end  is  this  strife?  We 
do  not  reason  with  malignant  fanatics,  with  the  mob  whose  coarse  and 
brutal  nature  is  frenzied  with  sectional  hatred.  But  we  ask,  Where  is 
the  great  conservative  party,  which  polled  as  many  votes  against  Abra- 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  227 

ham  Lincoln  as  the  whole  South?  Where  are  the  good  men  who  a  few 
weeks  ago  even,  held  out  the  olive  branch  to  us,  and  assured  us  that  if 
we  would  hold  our  hands,  the  aggressive  party  should  be  brought'  to 
reason.  Where  is  that  Albany  Convention,  which  pledged  itself 
agamst  war?  If  it  is  too  late  to  reason,  even  with  you,  we  will  at  least 
lay  down  our  last  testimony  against  you  before  our  countrymen,  the 
church,  and  the  righteous  heavens. 

"Consider,  then,  that  this  appeal  to  arms,  in  such  a  cause,  is  as  dan- 
gerous to  your  rights  as  to  ours.  Let  it  be  carried  out,  and  whatever 
may  have  befallen  us,  it  will  leave  you  with  a  consolidated  federal 
government,  with  State  sovereignty  extinguished,  with  the  constitution 
in  ruins,  and  with  your  rights  and  safety  a  prey  to  a  frightful  combina- 
tion of  radicalism  and  military  despotism;  for  what  thoughtful  man 
does  not  perceive  that  the  premises  of  the  anti-slavery  fanatic  are  just 
those  of  the  agrarian?  The  cause  of  peace  was  then  as  much  your 
cause  as  ours;  and  if  war  is  thrust  upon  us,  you  should  be  found 
on  our  side,  contending  for  the  supremacy  of  law  and  constitu- 
tional safeguards,  with  a  courage  worthy  of  the  heroes  of  Saratoga  and 
1  renton. 

"How  horrible  is  this  war  to  be,  of  a  whole  North  against  a  whole 
South !  Not  to  dwell  on  all  its  incidents  of  shame  and  misery,  let  us 
ask.  Who  are  to  fight  it  out  to  its  bitter  issue?  Not  the  tongue-valiant 
brawlers,  who  have  inflamed  the  feud,  by  their  prating  lies  about  the 
barbarism  of  slavery';  these  pitiful  miscreants  are  already  hiding 
their  cowardly  persons  from  the  storm,  and  its  brunt  must  be  borne  by 
the  honest,  the  misguided,  the  patriotic  men  of  the  North  who  in  a 
moment  of  madness,  have  been  thrust  into  this  false  position. 

"How  iniquitous  is  its  real  object— the  conquest  and  subjugation  of 
free  and  equal  States !    We  have  vainly  boasted  of  the  right  of  freemen^ 
to  choose  their  own  form  of  government.     This  right  the  North  now 
declares  the  South  shall  not  enjoy.    The  very  tyrants  of  the  Old  World 
are   surrendering   the   unrighteous    claim    to    thrust    institutions    on    an 
unwilling  people.     Even  grasping  England,  which  once  endeavored  to 
ruin  the  Colonies  she  could  not  retain,  stands  ready  to  concede  to  her 
dependencies  a  separate  existence,  when  they  determine  it  is  best  for 
their  welfare;    l?ut  the  North  undertakes  to  compel  its  equals  to  abide 
under  a  government  which  they  judge  ruinous  to  their  rights'     Thus 
this  free.   Christian,   Republican   North  urges  on  the  war,   while  even 
despotic  Europe  cries.   Shame  on  the  fratricidal  strife,  and  turns   with 
sickening  disgust  and  loathing,  from  the  bloody  spectacle ! 

"Let  it  not  be  replied  that  it  is  South  Carolina  which  has  first  gone 
to  war  with  you,  and  that  Virginia  has  made  herself  particeps  criminis 
by  refusing  to  permit  her  righteous  chastisement.  This  is  what  clam- 
oring demagogues  say;  but  before  an  enlightened  posterity,  as  before 
impartial  spectators,  it  is  false;  and  here  let  us  distinctly  understand 
the  ground  the  conservative  North  means  to  occupy,  as  to  the  independ- 


228        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

ence  of  the  States  in  their  reserved  rights.  If  you  do  indeed  construe 
the  federal  compact  so  that  a  ruthless  majority  may  perpetrate  uncon- 
stitutional wrong,  may  trample  on  the  sacred  authority  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  may  pervert  all  the  powders  of  the  Federal  Government, 
instituted  for  the  equal  good  of  all,  to  the  depression  of  a  class  of  rights 
as  much  recognized  by  the  Constitution  as  any  other,  and  the  minority 
have  no  remedy  except  submission;  if  you  mean  that  sovereign  States, 
the  creators  by  their  free  act  of  these  federal  authorities,  are  to  be  the 
helpless  slaves,  in  the  last  resort,  of  their  own  servant;  if  you  mean 
that  one  party  is  to  keep  or  break  the  compact  as  his  arrogance,  caprice 
or  interest  may  dictate,  and  the  other  is  to  be  held  bound  by  it  at  the 
point  of  the  sword ;  if  you  mean  that  a  sovereign  State  is  not  to  be  the 
judge  of  its  own  wrong  and  its  own  redress,  when  all  constitutional 
appeals  have  failed,  then  we  say  that  it  is  high  time  that  we  understood 
each  other.  Then  was  this  much-lauded  federal  compact  a  monstrous 
fraud,  a  horrid  trap,  and  we  do  well  to  free  ourselves  and  our  children 
from  it  at  the  expense  of  all  the  horrors  of  another  revolutionary  war. 
The  conservative  party  in  the  North  declared,  with  us,  that  the  platform 
of  the  Black  Republican  party  was  unconstitutional.  On  this  their  op- 
position to  it  was  based.  They  proclaimed  it  in  their  speeches,  they 
wrote  it  on  their  banners,  they  fired  it  from  their  cannon,  they  voted  it 
at  the  polls,  that  the  Chicago  platform  was  unconstitutional ;  and  now 
that  this  platform  has  been  fixed  on  the  ruins  of  the  Constitution,  and 
its  elected  exponent  has  declared,  from  the  steps  of  the  Capitol,  that 
the  last  barrier,  the  Supreme  Court,  is  to  be  prostrated  to  the  will  of  a 
majority;  now  that  the  Conservative  party  of  the  North  has  demon- 
strated itself  (as  it  does  this  day,  by  its  succumbing  to  this  fiendish 
war-frenzy)  impotent  to  protect  us,  themselves,  or  the  Constitution 
(the  Constitution  overthrown  according  to  their  own  avowals),  are  we 
to  be  held  oflfenders  because  we  attempted  peacefully  to  exercise  the 
last  remaining  remedy,  and  to  pluck  our  liberties  and  the  principles  of 
this  Constitution  from  the  vandal  hands  which  were  rending  them  all, 
by  a  quiet  secession?  Nay,  verily!  Of  all  men  in  the  world,  the  con- 
servative men  of  the  North  cannot  condemn  that  act,  for  they  have 
declared  the  Constitution  broken,  and  they  have  proved  themselves  in- 
competent to  restore  it ;  and  least  of  all  should  Virginia  be  condemned 
for  this  act,  because  she  magnanimously  forebore  it  till  forbearance  was 
almost  her  ruin,  and  until  repeated  aggressions  had  left  no  alternative. 
Yet,  more,  Virginia  cannot  be  condemned,  because,  in  the  ordinance  of 
1788,  in  which  she  first  accepted  this  Constitution,  she  expressly  re- 
served to  herself  the  right  to  sever  its  bonds,  whenever  she  judged  they 
were  used  injuriously  to  her  covenanted  rights.  It  was  on  this  condition 
she  was  received  into  the  family  of  States,  and  her  reception  on  this 
condition  was  a  concession  of  it  by  her  partners.  From  that  condition 
she  has  never  for  one  hour  receded.  (Witness  the  spirit  of  the  Resolu- 
tions of  1798,  1799.)     And  now,  shall  she  be  called  a  covenant-breaker 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  229 

because  she  judges  that  the  time  has  come  to  exercise  her  right  ex- 
pressly reserved?     Nay,  verily. 

"If,  then,  we  have  the  right  of  peacefully  severing  our  connection 
with  the  former  confederation,  and  the  attempt  has  been  made  by  force 
to  obstruct  that  right,  they  who  attempted  the  obstruction  are  the  first 
aggressors.  .The  first  act  of  war  was  committed  by  the  government  of 
Washington  against  South  Carolina,  when  fortresses  intended  lawfully, 
only  for  her  protection,  were  armed  for  her  subjugation.  That  act  of 
war  was  repeated  when  armed  preparations  were  twice  made  to  rein- 
force these  means  of  her  oppression.  It  was  repeated  when  she  was 
formally  notified  that  these  means  of  her  oppression  would  be  strength- 
ened, 'peaceably  if  they  could  be,  forcibly  if  they  must.'  And  then,  at 
last,  after  a  magnanimous  forbearance,  little  expected  of  her  ardent 
nature,  she  proceeded  to  what  was  an  act  of  strict  self-defence — the 
reduction  of  Fort  Sumter. 

"But  it  is  replied :  the  seceding  States  have  committed  the  intolerable 
wrongs  of  seizing  federal  ships,  posts,  property,  and  money,  by  violence ! 
And  whose  fault  is  this?  Had  the  right  of  self-protection  outside  the 
Federal  Constitution  been  peacefully  allowed  us,  after  our  rights  had 
been  trampled  in  the  mire  within  it,  not  one  dollar's  worth  would  have 
been  seized.  All  would  yet  be  accounted  for,  to  the  last  shoe-latchet,  if 
the  North  would  hold  its  hand.  The  South  has  not  seceded  because  it 
wished  to  commit  a  robbery.  As  for  the  forts  within  their  borders,  the 
only  legitimate  right  the  United  States  could  have  for  them  was  to 
protect  those  States.  When  we  relinquish  all  claims  on  that  protection, 
what  desire  can  the  Federal  Government  have  to  retain  them  save  as 
instruments  of  oppression?  But  you  say  they  were  forcibly  seized! 
And  why,  except  that  the  South  was  well  assured  (have  not  events 
proved  the  fear  well  grounded)  that  a  purpose  existed  to  employ  them 
for  her  ruin?  My  neighbor  and  equal  presumes  to  obstruct  me  in  the 
prosecution  of  my  rights,  and  brandishes  a  dirk  before  my  face;  when  I 
wrench  it  from  his  hand  to  save  my  own  life,  shall  he  then  accuse  me 
of  unlawfully  stealing  his  dirk?  Yet  such  is  the  insulting  nonsense 
which  has  been  everywhere  vented  to  make  the  South  an  offender  for 
acts  of  self-defence,  which  the  malignant  intentions  disclosed  by  the 
government  of  Washington  have  justified  more  and  more  every  day. 

"But  it  is  exclaimed,  'The  South  has  fired  upon  the  flag  of  the 
Union!'  Did  this  flag  of  the  Union  wave  in  the  cause  of  right  when  it 
was  unfurled  as  the  signal  of  oppression?  Spain  fired  upon  the  flag 
of  France  when  Napoleon  laid  his  iniquitous  grasp  upon  her  soil  and 
crown.  Did  this  justify  the  righteous  and  God-fearing  Frenchman  in 
seeking  to  destroy  Spain?  Let  the  aggressor  amend  his  wrong  before 
he  demands  a  penalty  of  the  innocent  party  who  has  only  exercised 
the  right  of  self-defence. 

"It  is  urged  again:  if  the  Union  is  not  maintained,  the  interests  of 
the  North  in  the  navigation  of  the  Gulf  and  the  Mississippi,  in  the  comi- 


'230        Life  and  Letters  of  RonERT  Lewis  Darxev. 

ties  of  international  intercourse,  in  the  moneys  expended  in  the  Southern 
States  for  fortifications,  may  be  jeopardized.  I  reply,  it  will  be  time 
enough  to  begin  to  fight  when  those  interests  are  infringed.  May  I 
murder  my  neighbor  because  I  suspect  that  he  may  defraud  me  in 
the  division  of  a  common  property,  which  is  about  to  be  made,  and 
because  I  find  him  now  more  in  my  power?  Shall  not  God  avenge  for 
such  iniquity  as  this? 

"But  it  is  said,  in  fine,  'If  the  right  of  secession  is  allowied,  then 
our  government  is  only  a  rope  of  sand.'  I  reply,  demonstratively,  that 
the  government  of  which  Virginia  has  been  a  member  has  always  had 
this  condition  in  it  as  to  her — for  her  right  to  go  out  of  it  whenever 
she  judged  herself  injured  by  it  was  expressly  reserved  and  conceded 
from  the  first.  Her  reception  on  those  terms  was  a  concession  of  it. 
If  you  say  that  the  people  of  the  North  are  not  aware  of  this,  then 
the  only  reply  we  deign  to  give  is,  that  it  is  no  one's  fault  but  yours  that 
you  have  allow-ed  yourself  to  be  misled  by  rulers  ignorant  of  the  funda- 
mental points  in  the  history  of  the  government.  Now,  my  argument 
{and  it  is  invincible)  is  this :  that  the  connection  of  Virginia  with 
the  Federal  Government,  althotigh  containing  always  the  right  of 
secession  for  an  infringement  of  the  compact,  has  been  anything  else, 
for  eighty  years,  than  a  rope  of  sand.  It  has  bound  her  in  a  firm 
loyalty  to  that  government.  It  has  been  a  bond  which  nothing  but  the 
most  ruthless  and  murderous  despotism  could  relax ;  a  bond  which 
retained  its  strength,  even  when  it  was  binding  the  State  to  her  incipient 
dishonor  and  destruction.  Surely  it  is  a  strange  and  disgraceful  fact 
that  men  who  call  themselves  freemen  and  Christians  should  assume 
the  position  that  no  force  is  a  real  force  except  that  which  is  cemented 
by  an  inexorable  physical  power!  Do  they  mean  that  with  them  honor, 
covenants,  oaths,  enlightened  self-interest,  affections,  are  only  a  rope 
of  sand?  Shame  on  the  utterance  of  such  an  argument.  Do  they  con- 
fess themselves  so  ignorant  that  they  do  not  know  that  the  physical 
power  of  even  the  most  iron  despotisms  reposes  on  moral  forces  ?  Even 
a  Presbyterian  divine  has  been  found  to  declare  that  if  our  federal 
compact  has  in  it  any  admission  of  a  right  of  secession,  it  is  but  a 
simulacrum  of  a  government.  Whereas,  all  history  teaches  us  that  if 
the  basis  of  moral  forces  be  withdrawn  from  beneath,  the  most  rigid 
despotism  becomes  but  a  siniidacrum,  and  dissolves  at  the  touch  of 
resistance.  How  much  more,  then,  must  all  republican  government  be 
founded  on  moral  forces,  on  the  consent,  the  common  interests,  and 
the  affections  of  the  governed.  While  these  remain,  the  government 
is  strong  and  efficient  for  good;  when  they  are  gone,  it  is  impotent 
for  good,  and  exists  only  for  evil.  As  long  as  the  purposes  and  com- 
pacts of  the  federal  institutions  were  tolerably  observed  by  the  North, 
that  government  knit  us  together  with  moral  bands  indeed ;  yet  they 
were  stronger  than  hooks  of  steel.  The  North  has  severed  them  by 
aggression,  and  they  cannot  be  cemented  by  blood. 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  231 

"Why,  then,  shall  war  be  urged  on?  No  man  is  blind  enough  to 
believe  that  it  can  reconstruct  the  Federal  Union  on  equitable  terms. 
It  is  waged  for  revenge,  for  the  gratification  of  sectional  hate,  to  solace 
mortified  pride,  to  satiate  the  lust  of  conquest.  From  these  fiendish 
passions  let  every  good  man  withdraw  his  countenance.  It  is  a  war 
which  the  Constitution  confers  no  power  to  wage,  even  were  the  seces- 
sion of  the  South  for  no  sufficient  cause.  The  debates  of  the  fathers 
who  framed  it  show  that  this  power  was  expressly  withheld — even  the 
Federalist,  Hamilton,  concurring  strenuously.  This  war  has  no  justifi- 
cation in  righteousness,  in  any  reasonable  hope  of  good  results,  in  con- 
stitutional law.  It  is  the  pure  impulse  of  bad  passions.  Will  the  good 
men  of  the  North  concur  in  it? 

"I  desire  through  you,  my  dear  brother,  to  lay  down  this  last  protest 
on  that  altar  where  the  peace  of  the  land  is  so  soon  to  be  sacrificed.  I 
claim  to  be  heard.  If  the  reign  of  terror  exercised  by  the  mobs  of 
your  cities  has  indeed  made  it  dangerous  for  you  to  lay  before  your 
fellow-Christians  the  deprecatory  cry  of  one  who,  like  me,  has  labored 
only  for  peace,  then  tell  those  mobs  that  not  you,  but  I,  am  responsible 
for  whatever  in  these  lines  is  obnoxioiis  to  their  malignant  minds,  and 
bid  them  seek  their  revenge  of  me  (not  of  you)  at  that  frontier  where 
we  shall  meet  them,  the  northernmost  verge  of  the  sacred  soil  of  Vir- 
ginia. And  if  you  find  that  the  voice  of  justice  and  reason  is  no  longer 
permitted  to  be  heard  in  the  North,  that  the  friends  of  the  Constitu- 
tion cannot  lift  their  hands  there  with  safety  in  its  defence,  then  we 
invite  you,  and  all  true  men,  to  come  to  this  sunny  land,  and  help  us 
here  to  construct  and  defend  another  temple,  where  constitutional  lib- 
erty may  abide  secure  and  untarnished.  For  you  we  have  open  arms 
and  warm  hearts ;  for  our  enemies,  resistance  to  the  death. 
"Yours  in  the  bonds  of  the  gospel, 

"R.  L.  Dabney." 

A  few  years  before  the  war,  Dr.  Dabney  had  been  exceed- 
ingly doubtful  as  to  the  results  of  this  struggle ;  he  had  said 
that  no  man  could  tell  which  section  would  come  out  victorious, 
and  that  the  consequences  to  both  sections  would  be  most  ap- 
palling ;  but  he  was  now  caught  in  the  current  of  the  prevailing 
enthusiasm.     He  wrote,  on  the  25th  of  April,  1861 : 

"There  are  many  things  which  make  me  hope  that  it  may  be  the 
will  of  a  good  Providence  that  we  shall  be  spared  the  sufferings  and 
crimes  of  a  great  war,  or  at  least  of  defeat.  I  can  hardly  think  that  the 
Northern  people  will  not  come  to  their  senses  when  they  see  the  unex- 
ampled unanimity  of  our  people  and  their  towering  spirit.  There  was 
no  such  unity  of  spirit,  either  in  the  first  or  second  British  war.  Our 
generals  embrace  nearly  all  the  military  talent  of  the  country,  except 
old  Scott,  who  must  be  in  his  dotage.     Our  cousins  to  the  Southwest 


232        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

will  rally  to  our  defence  with  a  zeal  which  will  leave  us  nothing  to 
do,  if  we  pleased,  but  to  make  bread  and  meat  to  feed  them,  while  they 
fight  our  battles.  I  verily  believe  that,  instead  of  lacking  for  de- 
fenders, we  shall  have  more  than  we  can  support  or  employ  to  advan- 
tage. 

"Day  before  yesterday  three  Prince  Edward  companies  were  in  high 
preparations  for  leaving.  They  started  yesterday  morning.  The  day 
before,  a  fine  rifle  company,  the  Prospect  Greys,  a  few  miles  above  this, 
held  a  meeting  to  drill  and  to  raise  a  subscription  to  buy  uniforms 
and  blankets  for  the  poorer  members.  I  was  requested  to  go  up  and 
make  them  an  address,  which  I  did.  When  I  got  there  the  company 
was  in  the  church,  with  their  full  equipment,  and  a  house  full  of  their 
neighbors,  wives,  sisters  and  children.  There  was  most  intense  feeling. 
I  gave  them  various  good  advices,  seeking  rather  to  quiet  than  to  agitate 
their  feelings ;  and  then  made  an  appeal  to  people  for  aid,  as  did  a 
Methodist  minister  who  was  there.  The  people  then  raised  about  seven 
hundred  dollars  in  cash,  and  handed  it  to  their  captain ;  and  also 
promised  full  assistance  to  the  dependent  wives  and  children  left  behind. 
So  we  dismissed  them  with  prayers,  among  universal  tears  and  sobs. 
This  company  is  composed  of  middle-class  men ;  most  of  them  Pres- 
byterians or  Methodists,  and  a  few  gentlemen.  They  are  a  stalwart 
set  of  fellows,  sun-burned,  raw-boned  and  bearded;  but  they  all  wept 
like  children.  They  will  fight  none  the  less  for  that.  Our  little  county 
will  soon  have  five  large  companies  in  the  field.  Such  a  people  cannot 
be  conquered." 

During  these  years,  Dr.  Dabney  continued  his  contributions 
and  editorials  in  the  Central  Presbyterian.  Amongst  them  ap- 
peared, in  June  and  July,  of  1859,  his  review  of  Theodosia 
Ernest,  in  which  he  demolished  the  arguments  for  immersion. 
In  the  Philadelphia  Presbyterian,  issues  December  3,  1859.  ^'^ 
January  8,  i860,  he  reviewed  Thornwell's  "Defence  of  the  Re- 
vised Book  of  Discipline,"  which  had  appeared  in  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Reviezv.  He  published  in  the  North  Carolina 
Presbyterian,  in  September  and  October,  i860,  five  articles  on 
"Theory  of  the  Eldership."  The  students  of  Hampden-Sidney 
College  published,  in  i860,  a  notable  sermon  of  his  on  "The  Sin 
of  the  Tempter"  (Heb.  ii.  15).  All  his  work  in  this  period  was 
very  strong.  He  was  coming  into  the  full  command  of  hi.«. 
powers. 

During  these  two  years  his  devotion  to  his  mother  and  sister 
was  as  marked  as  ever.  He  is  interested  in  everything  which 
was  of  interest  to  them.  The  following  homely,  gossipy  sheet 
is  characteristic : 


First  Years  in  the  Chair  of  Theology.  233 

"August  15,  i860. 

"My  Dear  Mother:  I  fear  my  promise  to  write  to  you  more  fre- 
quently is  not  in  a  very  likely  way  to  be  redeemed.  I  find  myself  very 
busy  since  getting  home,  preaching,  doing  up  my  neglected  pastoral 
visiting,  repairing  Seminary  rooms,  and  studying  a  very  little.  Either 
I  am  growing  lazier,  so  as  to  be  more  easily  distracted  by  interruptions, 
or  my  occupations  grow  more  distracting.  I  see  that  what  with  un- 
avoidable drawbacks  of  the  Presbytery,  etc.,  I  shall  not  get  through  my 
year's  visiting  before  the  session  begins;  and  people  would  have  me, 
if  I  would  listen  to  them,  to  spend  every  Sabbath  and  every  week  day, 
too,  between  now  and  the  beginning,  preaching  away  from  home.  The 
most  of  these  applications  I  repel  with  a  firmness  (rudeness,  you  will 
say,  perhaps)   like  that  with  which  I  met  yours. 

"As  to  our  own  affairs,  we  have  had  very  abundant  and  refreshing 
rains  since  I  saw  you,  and  the  crops  begin  to  look  quite  green  and 
fresh;  but  our  garden  has  done  poorly  as  yet,  because  everything  had 
to  take  a  fresh  start.  No  peas,  no  butter-beans,  no  melons,  and  very 
few  tomatoes.  We  shall  float  in  abundance  now  in  about  a  week.  La- 
vinia  and  the  children  are  all  quite  well,  the  first-named  especially. 
Little  Sammy  had  last  week  the  most  furious  rash,  or  breaking  out  of 
heat  I  ever  saw,  which  has  been  of  great  advantage  to  him.  Since  it 
came  out,  he  has  improved  regularly,  and  I  hope  will  not  be  much  more 
troubled  now  till  cool  weather  secures  him.  He  has  begun  to  walk  a 
little,  and  to  behave  a  little  better  at  night,  his  squalling  being  dimin- 
ished from  about  six  hours  per  night  to  an  average  of  three,  and  his 
feeds  from  five  or  seven  to  one  or  two.  This  desirable  beginning  has 
been  brought  about  chiefly  by  the  agency  of  three  or  four  little  whip- 
pings, which  I  gave  him,  to  the  great  indignation  of  his  mother  and 
mammy.  I  shall,  I  think,  renew  the  treatment  in  a  few  days,  and  break 
up  his  night  feeding,  and  consequently  his  night  crying  altogether.  It 
makes  me  mad  to  think  of  a  little  imp's  being  permitted  to  inflict  so 
much  inconvenience  and  torment  on  himself  and  a  whole  house,  just 
by  foolish  indulgence;  but  I  assure  you  that  in  whipping  him  I  hardly 
escaped  a  whipping  myself.  Charley  and  Tom  are  decidedly  improved, 
in  both  health  and  morals,  by  their  return  home. 

"You  will  have  heard  of  Mrs.  Wharey's  loss  in  the  deatli  of  Mary 
Curry.  She  died  in  Clarksville,  Mecklenburg  county,  Va.,  whither  she 
had  come  to  visit  her  sister  (Anne  Rice,  now  Mrs.  Hill),  and  died  the 
day  after  her  arrival  there.  The  explanation  is  that  her  spinal  disease 
had  proceeded  to  so  frightful  an  extent  that  her  nervous  system  was 
disorganized,  and  her  brain  diseased,  so  that  the  slightest  excitement 
knocked  her  over.  Mrs.  Wharey  bears  it  very  well.  Anne  is  also  sup- 
posed to  be  in  a  consumption.  Thomas  has  had  a  fever,  but  is  gettnig 
well,  and  his  friends  hope  his  constitution  will  be  better  than  before.  I 
believe  our  neighbors  are  all  well.  Lavinia  is 'quite  pleased  with  her 
new-old  carriage,  and  professes  manfully  that  its  small  price  is  no  ob- 


234        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

jection.  Last  Sunday  I  preached  in  Farmville,  and  she  went  down  with 
me  and  Charley.  Tell  Betty  she  might  then  have  witnessed  the  rare 
sight  of  the  old  codger  sitting  in  his  own  carriage,  drawn  by  his  own 
horses,  driven  by  his  own  nigger,  and  beside  his  own  wife,  with  nothing 
to  do  with  his  great  brown  hands,  but  play  gentleman — a  very  unnatural 
occupation. 

"Our  new  church  has  not  yet  begun  to  rise;    still  making  bricks.- 
"Love  to  all,  and  charge  Betty  to  write  often  and  fully. 

"Affectionately  yours,  R.  L.  D.xbney." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IX  THE  WAR-TIME. 
(May,   1861— x\lay.   1805.) 

His  Appreciation  of  the  Blunder  in  the  Southern  mode  of  Proce- 
dure.— Four  Months  as  Chaplain  of  the  Eighteenth  Virginia 
Volunteers,  Colonel  Withers. — Acquaintance  with  General 
Jackson  Renewed. — Organization  of  the  Southern  Presbyte- 
rian Church. — Seminary  Session  of  1861-62. — Dissatisfied 
with  the  Conduct  of  the  War. — Mrs.  Stonewall  Jackson  his 
Guest  in  Spring  of  1862. — Tendered  Office  of  Chief  of  Staff  to 
General  Jackson. — Service  on  Jackson's  Staff. — Resignation 
September,  1862. — Slow  Recovery. — Death  of  "Tommy." — Semi- 
nary Session,  1862-63. — Literary  Labors  during  this  Session  : 
Defence  of  Virginia,  ct  al. — Correspondence  during  this  and  the 
Following  Months. — Writing  Life  of  Stonewall  Jackson, 
1863-64. — Seminary  Session,  i863-'64. — Incidental  Occup.a.tions 
IN  LATE  Summer  of  1864. — Feelings  with  which  he  now 
Watched  the  War. — Sees  his  Labors  in  Behalf  of  the  Synod 
OF  the  South  with  his  Church  Succeed. — Seminary  Session, 
1864-65. — Looking  out  for  Meat. — Missionary  to  the  Army, 
1865. — The  Surrender. — Queries. 

IT  has  already  been  made  clear  that  Dr.  Dabney  was  a  con- 
stitutional Union  man,  as  long  as,  in  his  judgment,  honor 
permitted.  He  heartily  disapproved  of  the  Free  Soil  and 
Abolition  movements,  as  insulting  and  dangerous  to  the  rights 
of  the  South ;  but  he  did  not  regard  them  as  furnishing  a 
casus  belli.  When,  however,  Mr.  Lincoln  proceeded  to  usurp 
power  to  coerce  sovereign  States,  he  at  once  ceased  to  be  a 
Union  man.  Resistance  to  the  usurpation  became  a  sacred  duty. 
The  South  had  a  good  and  righteous  cause. 

Nevertheless,  it  was  wholly  unprepared.  In  Dr.  Dabney's 
view,  our  statesmen  botched  things  badly ;  they  were  too  much 
under  the  influence  of  the  popular  will,  of  tricksters  and  pup- 
pets, rather  than  wise  leaders  of  foresight  and  prudence ;  they 
ought  to  have  been  armed  to  the  teeth  for  defence,  before 
throwing  down  the  gauntlet  of  war.  Dr.  Dabney  was  accus- 
tomed to  say,  in  his  later  days : 


236        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"Our  fathers  should  have  made  their  stand  against  Free  Soil  in  1820. 
instead  of  joining  the  wretched  Missouri  Compromise;  we  were  strong 
then,  and  should  have  settled  the  point  for  good  and  all.  Again,  when 
our  enemies  came  near  electing  their  man  in  1856,  we  should  have  taken 
warning,  and  spent  the  interval  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  weak,  pacific  admin- 
istration in  arming  efifectually.  Neglecting  this,  we  should  have  re- 
mained quiet  when  Lincoln  went  in,  and  employed  the  respite  at  last 
in  arming  thoroughly." 

But  things  were  otherwise ;  and  Dr.  Dabney,  though  disap- 
proving of  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  his  State  and 
section,  and  though  he  had  as  long  as  possible  been  a  Union 
man,  was  proud  to  be  one  of  the  sturdiest  patriots  and  servants 
of  his  State  and  the  Confederacy. 

During  the  vacation  of  the  summer  of  1861,  he  served  as 
chaplain.  Nearly  all  the  young  men  of  the  College  Church,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  pastors,  had  volunteered  at  once. 
Dr.  Dabney  told  his  session  that  Dr.  Smith,  the  other  pastor, 
could  do  the  work  at  home,  and  that  he  would  get  a  chaplaincy, 
and  endeavor  to  watch  over  their  young  men  in  the  army.  He 
then  believed  that  nearly  all  of  the  Prince  Edward  men,  except 
the  cavalry,  were  going  into  the  Eighteenth  Virginia  Volun- 
teers, Mr.  Robert  E.  Withers,  Colonel.  He  got  a  State  com- 
mission, and  followed  the  regiment  to  the  camp  near  Manassas 
Junction.  He  seems  to  have  reached  the  camp  on  Saturday. 
the  nth  of  June.  On  the  13th  of  June,  he  wrote  to  the  Central 
Presbyterian: 

"Yesterday  was  the  day  of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer,  appointed 
by  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States  for  our  success  in  defending 
our  liberties.  Its  observance  was  marked  by  the  authorities  in  command, 
by  the  omission  of  the  customary  morning  drill,  and  the  invitation  to 
all  the  regiments  to  attend  divine  service  in  their  respective  quarters. 
Can  the  happy  frequenters  of  our  peaceful  sanctuaries  frame  to  them- 
selves the  picture  of  such  a  scene  of  worship?  Overhead  there  is  no 
roof  besides  the  azure  of  the  heavens.  The  place  of  worship  is  nothing. 
but  an  oblong  area  between  two  rows  of  tents,  and  the  pulpit  a  rude  box 
to  elevate  the  minister  a  step  from  the  earth,  with  a  rough  board  before 
him,  draped  with  nothing  richer  than  a  soldier's  blanket.  On  either 
hand  are  clusters  of  glittering  arms  stacked,  soldiers  reclining  on  their 
pallets,  and  the  open  doors  of  tents,  filled  with  their  occupants.  The 
signal  of  divine  worship  is  the  rattle  of  the  drum,  the  soldier's  substi- 
tute for  the  bell,  and  they  come  from  every  side  to  the  meeting-place. 
some  singly,  some  by  twos  and  threes,  some  marching  in  companies  with 


In  the  War-Time.  237 

measured  tread ;  rough-bearded  men,  bronzed  and  weather-beaten,  and 
almost  unrecognizable  as  the  trim  gentlemen  who,  a  month  or  two  ago, 
would  have  been  seen  at  similar  occasions,  going  in  holiday  attire  to 
their  churches.  Some  bring  camp-stools  in  their  hands,  some  stand, 
.<iome  are  seated  on  logs  of  wood,  and  some  on  mother  earth. 

"But  see,  the  man  of  God  has  risen,  and  stretched  forth  his  hands  in 
prayer.  Instantly  every  head  is  reverently  uncovered,  and  bowed  in 
prayer,  while  Jehovah  of  hosts  is  implored  to  bless  our  bleeding  country, 
to  crown  our  arms  with  success,  and  to  protect  the  beloved  ones  at 
home.  Then  follows  an  old,  familiar  psalm.  There  are  no  strains  of 
woman's  sweeter  melody  to  mingle  with  the  stern  melody  of  the  men. 
but  the  wind  sighing  through  the  pine  trees  around  us  is  the  accompani- 
ment, not  unfitting,  to  the  hundreds  of  manly  voices,  which  roll  the 
hymn  to  the  heavens.  Tlien  follows  the  sermon,  short  and  informal,  but 
swallowed  with  solemn  and  eager  faces.  It  is  evident  that  many  hearts 
are  busy  with  thoughts  of  home,  of  the  peaceful  sanctuaries  where,  in 
happier  times,  they  were  wont  to  worship,  and  of  the  wives  and  sisters, 
who,  at  the  very  hour,  sadly  passing  to  the  house  of  God,  lead  perhaps 
the  tottering  feet  of  their  little  ones,  to  join  in  prayers  for  fathers,  hus- 
bands, and  brothers  far  away.  Not  a  few  tears  are  wiped  from  those 
bronzed  and  bearded  faces ;  but  they  are  not  unmanly  tears ;  our 
enemies  will  find,  to  their  cost,  that  the  love  for  homes  and  households, 
by  which  the  fountains  have  been  opened,  will  make  every  one  of  these 
men  as  a  lion  in  the  day  of  battle. 

"It  has  been  customary  to  speak  of  camps  as  schools  of  temptation 
and  evil.  And  there  is  too  much  in  them  to  pain  the  Christian's  heart 
and  to  try  the  graces.  But  our  camps  are  places  of  much  prayer,  and 
afford  many  shining  examples  of  Christian  consistency.  Let  the  people 
of  God  abound  in  prayer  for  the  bodies  and  souls  of  our  citizen-soldiers. 
'The  effectual,  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much.'  Now 
is  the  time  for  the  people  of  God  to  besiege  the  throne  of  grace  and 
prove  the  efficacy  of  this  agency.  For  assuredly  we  are  in  a  great 
strait.  But  God  can  easily  deliver  us ;  and  to  this  end  the  prayer  of  the 
humblest,  the  most  infirm,  or  the  most  aged  saint,  may  avail  just  as 
much  as  the  arm  of  the  robust  warrior — yea,  more.  Let  Christians 
arise  and  conquer  in  this  war  by  the  power  of  prayer." 

On  the  day  following,  he  wrote  to  his  mother,  setting  forth 
his  motives  in  being  chaplain,  and  lamenting  that  the  volunteers 
from  Prince  Edward  were  more  scattered  than  he  had  expected, 
so  that  it  was  impossible  to  look  after  as  many  of  them  as  he 
liad  hoped  to  be  able  to  do.  He  was,  for  the  time,  boarding 
with  an  old  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Weir,  who  lived  about  a 
mile  from  the  camp.  He  looked,  however,  to  securing  a  tent  at 
an  early  date,  and  then  living  amongst  the  soldiers.     He  had 


238        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

arranged  to  tent  with  Dr.  Walton,  of  Cumberland,  a  Presbyte- 
rian elder,  and  "a  very  lovely  gentleman  and  Christian."  He 
tells  his  mother  that  he  proposes  to  make  himself  very  snug 
and  comfortable  tenting.  He  says  he  has  seen  and  conversed 
with  "our  commander,  General  Beauregard,"  that  "he  is  a 
small,  homely  man,  very  genteel  in  person,  and  straight  and 
muscular" ;  and  that  men  seem  to  have  great  confidence  in  his 
capacity  and  courage.^ 

Within  a  few  days  he  succeeded  in  establishing  himself  under 
canvas  with  his  friend,  Dr.  Walton.  He  continued  his  work  as 
chaplain  for  about  four  months,  laboring  with  great  acceptance, 
ability  and  success.  On  the  28th  of  June,  1861,  he  wrote  to 
Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge  that  he  had  found  the  religious  sentiment 
as  great  as  he  had  ever  known  it  in  any  community  not  in  actual 
revival ;  that  the  men  seemed  kind,  and  pleased  to  have  a  chap- 
lain, and  that  he  preached  with  as  much  freedom  and  satis- 
faction as  he  had  ever  felt  anywhere.  He  was  blessed  with  the 
sight  of  men  won  to  Christ  through  his  ministry,  and  with 
saints  edified.  To  name  two  conspicuous  instances:  His  Col- 
onel, Mr.  Withers,  dated  his  conversion  to  a  Thanksgiving 
sermon,  which  his  chaplain  preached,  on  Thursday  night,  after 
the  battle  of  Manassas,  and  "Stonewall"  Jackson,  as  he  came 
to  be  known  after  this  battle,  took  high  delight  in  his  preaching, 
so  far  as  he  was  able  to  hear  it  during  this  summer. 

He  seems  to  have  formed  the  purpose,  when  entering  upon 
his  chaplaincy,  of  confining  himself  to  his  duties  as  "such.  This 
was,  perhaps,  due  in  part  to  his  desire  to  relieve  his  home  folks 
of  uneasiness  about  him.  On  July  12,  1861,  he  wrote  to  his 
sister  Betty,  from  Fairfax  Courthouse : 

"I  hope  you  all  are  not  permitting  any  apprehensions  for  my  safety 
to  distress  you.  I  am  not  so  romantic  in  my  ideas  as  to  think  of  mixing 
up  secular  and  sacred  callings.  If  our  regiment  were  actively  engaged 
in  battle,  I  should  expect  to  give  my  assistance  to  the  surgeons  in 
ministering  to  the  wounded,  a  place  harrowing  indeed  to  the  sympathies, 
but  exposed  to  little  danger  under  any  circumstances,  either  of  being- 
killed  or  taken.  My  health  has  been  pretty  good  lately,  except  a  cold. 
I  take  good  care  of  myself,  I  assure  you." 

Writing  to  this  beloved  sister  again,  on  the  19th  of  July,  and 
hoping  to  relieve  her  anxiety,  and  that  of  his  venerable  mother, 
who  was  sick  at  the  time,  he  says : 


See  letter  to  his  mother  of  June  14,  1861. 


In  the  War-Time.  239 

"I  assure  you,  I  am  a  non-combatant,  and  intend  to  remain  so.  I 
have  persisted  in  refusing  to  get  any  uniform  or  side  arms.  I  shall 
make  it  my  business  to  attend  upon  the  wounded  in  time  of  action, 
if  our  regiment  goes  into  one,  at  the  same  place  and  under  the  same 
circumstances  with  the  surgeons.  You  know  it  is  the  rarest  thing  in 
the  world  to  hear  of  a  surgeon  attacked ;  in  civilized  warfare  they  and 
their  benevolent  work  are  considered  as  sacred." 

The  week  following  the  i6th  of  July,  1861,  was  a  stirring 
one,  through  which  we  may  attend  him  by  the  aid  of  an  excerpt 
from  the  letter  just  quoted,  and  a  letter  written  July  22,  1861. 
They  are  as  follows : 

"Before  this  reaches  you,  you  will  have  heard  rumors  of  a  pitched 
battle  here.  I  will  try  to  make  you  understand  it.  About  twelve  regi- 
ments, including  ours,  were  up  at  Fairfax  Court-house,  or  thereabouts, 
about  twelve  miles  from  Alexandria  and  seven  from  the  enemy.  They 
had  breastworks  built,  etc.,  as  if  they  were  going  to  fight  there ;  but 
it  was  all  a  sham.  The  real  line  of  battle  adopted  by  General  Beaure- 
gard was  all  the  time  this  Bull's  Run,  a  large  creek,  about  four  miles 
east  of  Manassas,  and  the  dividing  line  between  Fairfax  and  Prince 
William  counties.  (Get  your  map.)  Before  day,  the  17th,  we  received 
orders  to  strike  tents,  load  up  baggage-wagons,  get  breakfast,  and 
prepare  for  battle  as  the  enemy  was  approaching  in  force.  About  half- 
past  eight  o'clock  the  line  of  battle  was  complete.  But  a  half  hour 
after  the  troops  were  ordered  to  retreat,  which  they  did  in  perfect 
order,  bringing  away  all  baggage,  sick,  etc.,  and  all  the  artillery  but 
one  piece,  which,  covering  the  retreat,  was  lost  by  the  horses  taking 
a  balky  fit — so  they  say.  Our  regiment  made  a  forced  march  of  eleven 
miles,  dinnerless  and  tired.  I  walked  the  far  larger  part  of  the  way, 
lending  my  horse  to  fainting  soldiers,  one  of  whom  I  undoubtedly  saved 
from  captivity  or  death.  A  part  of  the  army  made  a  feint  of  stopping 
to  resist  at  Centreville,  a  little  hamlet  about  half  way;  and  staid  there 
till  after  midnight.  But  on  the  morning  of  yesterday,  the  i8th,  all  the 
army  were  ranked  on  this  side  of  Bull  Run,  occupying  it,  at  patches, 
for  a  space,  I  should  suppose,  of  eight  miles.  Our  regiment  is  the  right 
of  the  left  wing.  The  centre  was  on  the  big  road,  where  it  crosses 
from  Manassas  to  Fairfax  Court-house.  The  right  wing  was  lower 
down,  towards  where  the  creek  merges  into  Occoquan  river.  The 
enemy  yesterday,  about  11  o'clock,  advanced  in  great  force  against  the 
centre,  and  fought  for  about  three  hours  (also,  it  is  said,  at  an  earlier 
hour,  against  our  right  wing).  But  the  main  battle  was  at  the  centre. 
The  whole  left  wing,  including  our  regiment,  was  totally  unengaged, 
and  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  watch  and  listen.  We  had  a  view  of  the 
battle-field  at  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distance ;  could  see  the  puffs  of 
smoke  mount  up  from  opposing  cannon,   and  see  the  bayonets  of  the 


240        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

enemy  gleam  as  their  columns  advanced  (very  steadily)  and  retired 
(very  rapidly).  The  cannonading  was  frequent  and  heavy;  and  at 
times,  what  is  far  more  terrible,  the  roll  of  whole  brigades  of  infantry 
pouring  in  their  fire.  The  enemy  was  completely  repulsed,  seemingly 
with  heavy  loss.  I  hear  our  dead  estimated  at  from  four  to  thirteen, 
and  our  wounded  from  forty  to  sixty.  Among  the  latter  are  Colonel 
Moore,  First  Virginia;  Major  Carter  Harrison,  Seventeenth  Virginia 
(Colonel  Garland's).  To-day  we  are  all  lying  still  again,  and  know 
not  what  is  before  us. 

"Direct  as  before,  to  Tudor  Hall,   Prince  William  county,  care  of 
Colonel  Withers,  Eighteenth  Regiment  Virginia  Volunteers. 

"Yours  afifectionately,  with  best  love  to  mamma, 

"R.  L.  D." 


"Manassas  Junction,  July  22,  1861. 

"My  Dearest  Betty:  Your  welcome  letter  of  the  17th  reached  me 
this  morning.  I  am  very  much  pleased  to  hear  that  mamma  is  better, 
and  I  hope  the  news  I  can  give  her  will  do  much  to  relieve  her  anxiety, 
which  seems  to  be  her  main  disease.  The  great  battle  was  fought,  our 
regiment  was  briefly  but  splendidly  engaged,  and  I  have  kept  my 
promise  of  acting  as  a  non-combatant  and  keeping  out  of  harm's  way. 
I  wrote  you  of  the  battle  of  the  i8th,  at  Mitchell's  Ford,  on  Bull's  Run, 
with  which  our  regiment  had  nothing  to  do,  except  as  spectators.  Fri- 
day and  Saturday  passed  quietly,  only  we  were  receiving  very  large 
accessions  of  force;  and  as  most  of  the  troops  at  Winchester  and 
Aquia  creek  were  brought  to  help  us,  it  is  supposed  that  Patterson's 
army,  threatening  Winchester,  has  all  retired  and  marched  this  way, 
north  of  the  Potomac.  But  Sunday  morning  (what  a  day  for  such  a 
horrid  scene!)  the  enemy  came  sure  enough,  and  in  great  force,  and 
against  our  left  wing,  where  our  regiment  was  posted.  He  passed 
across  the  country,  and  across  Bull's  Run  by  a  higher  and  more  cir- 
cuitous road,  so  that  to  meet  him  our  line  of  battle  had  to  be  changed 
to  a  line  at  right  angles  to  the  creek,  instead  of  along  parallel  to  it. 
From  sunrise  till  nine  o'clock  the  enemy  were  just  feeling  their  way, 
by  a  few  cannon-shot  and  riflemen.  But  about  nine  the  horror  began, 
and  lasted  till  about  five  p.  m.  For  eight  hours  the  field  was  contested 
with  a  fury  we  hardly  expected  the  Yankees  to  exhibit.  But  it  is 
explained  by  their  reliance  on  their  supposed  superiority  in  artillery 
and  numbers,  and  their  immense  reserves.  Three  or  four  of  these  hours 
were  to  me  hours  of  anguished  suspense;  for  I  saw  the  fight  was  stern 
and  hard,  I  knew  that  they  had  a  great  superiority  of  force,  and  did 
not  know  how  overwhelming  it  might  be ;  and  the  very  fate  of  the  State 
seemed  to  hang  suspended  on  the  accidental  disorders  which  might 
occur  among  our  impetuous,  but  inexperienced  troops.  But  about  three, 
the  terrible  fire  of  the  enemy's  artillery  seemed  to  slacken.     Indeed,  the 


Ix   THE   \VaR-Ti]S[E.  241 

f:;nious  batteries  of  Sprague  and  Sherman  had  been  captured  by  our 
men,  tho,ugh  the  latter  was  recaptured.  Just  then  the  brigade  to  which 
our  regiment  belonged  was  brought  up,  ours  in  the  front,  held  the 
enemy  at  bay,  recaptured  Sherman's  guns,  and  turned  two  or  three 
against  the  column  of  the  enemy.  This  was  their  last  effort,  and  they 
then  began  to  retreat ;  when  artillery,  infantry  and  cavalry  pursued 
aK  the  way  to  Centreville,  capturing  hundreds  of  prisoners,  forty-two 
cannon,  all  the  enemy  had,  and  their  baggage  train  and  ambulances.  A 
prisoner  whom  our  regiment  took  very  early  in  the  day  said  that  General 
Scott  was  in  Centreville  the  day  before.  And  it  is  reported  that  he 
V.  as  in  the  rear  of  his  army  during  the  fight,  and  that  his  barouche  was 
captured.  I  hardly  believe  this.  Our  regiment  had  only  four  men 
killed,  so  far  as  we  know,  and  about  fifteen  wounded,  of  whom  I  fear 
two  will  die.  But  in  other  regiments  there  was,  I  fear,  great  loss.  I 
felt  it  my  duty  to  ride  over  the  part  of  the  field  where  our  regiment 
fought,  to  make  sure  that  there  were  none  who  needed  aid ;  and  such 
sights  of  horror  I  never  saw.  The  Yankee  corpses  seemed  much  more 
numerous;  indeed,  it  was  hard  to  go  more  than  ten  to  twenty  yards 
w  ithout  seeing  one.  I  have  very  little  doubt  our  loss  is  heavy,  and  the 
"Yankee  heavier.  I  fear  Peyton  Harrison,  brother  of  Dabney,  was 
killed.  Our  troops  displayed  almost  universal  gallantry,  but  too  much 
lonfusion  and  excitement.  The  Virginia  regiments  exhibited  all  the 
heroism  which  any  Southern  regiments  could,  with  a  great  deal  more 
steadiness.     Colonel  Jackson  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  day. 

"Tell  mamma  that,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  Governor's  second 
proclamation,  Frank  is  clearly  exempt  from  military  duty,  and  should. 
^.V  all  means,  stay  at  home.  Don't  you  be  afraid  of  McClelland.  He  is 
very  much  of  a  braggart.  If  he  penetrates  the  Valley,  his  army  will  be 
destroyed  or  captured.  Here,  the  talk  is  of  an  advance  to  Arlington 
Heights.  We  have  gained  a  great  victory.  Tell  mamma  not  to  be 
uneasy  about  me,  for  I  do  not  intend  to  expose  my  life  to  danger:  I  do 
not  consider  it  my  duty.  Give  my  best  love  to  all  at  home,  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Payne  and  Johnson.  I  hope  I  may  be  able  to  get  to  see  you  in  a 
few  weeks.  Best  love  to  mamma.  May  God  bless  you  and  keep 
you. 

"Your  affectionate  brother,  R.  L.  D. 

"Continue  to  direct  to  Tudor  Hall,  Prince  William  county,  Va.,  care 
of  Colonel  Withers,  Eighteenth  Regiment,  Virginia  Volunteers." 

His  carefulness  to  avoid  danger  did  not  prevent  his  riding 
as  an  orderly  for  his  colonel  dtiring  the  battle  of  Manassas,  a 
fact  which  he  does  not  acquaint  his  home  folks  with.  His 
labors  as  chaplain  were  much  increased  by  a  fever  that  became 
prevalent  in  camp  during  the  August  following.  Concerning 
these  labors,  and  the  cause  of  the  fever,  he  wrote : 
16 


2^2        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"August  29,  1861. 

"My  Dearest  Wife:  I  just  seize  a  moment  to  write  you  a  line  this 
morning  to  let  you  know  that  I  am  well.  I  am  about  to  start  to  Ma- 
nassas with  the  ambulance,  to  see  Mr.  Abram  Carrington  off  to  Rich- 
mond to  be  sick.  He  is  taking  this  fever,  I  think,  which  is  prevailing 
here,  and  is  going  to  have  a  spell.  I  found  it  prevailing  when  I  came  to 
the  regiment,  and  now  about  every  second  man  is  down  with  it.  A  few 
of  the  first  cases  were  malignant,  and  two  or  three  are  dead,  but  since 
that  it  has  become  manageable,  and  I  don't  think  there  is  a  great  deal 
of  danger.  The  regiment  broke  up  from  here  this  morning  (a  miserably 
damp,  drizzly  day)  to  go  near  Alexandria,  where  some  fighting  is  ex- 
pected. Only  about  300  go ;  the  rest  are  sick,  or  at  home,  or  'possuming. 
\Ye  send  sixteen  to  hospital  this  morning,  and  leave  private  houses  all 
about  the  neighborhood  full  of  sick  people.  All  this  is  more  the  result 
of  wretched  mismanagement,  indolence,  and  filth  than  of  actual  hard- 
ship; and  now  the  most  of  the  men  are  as  completely  hypped  and 
dispirited  as  a  set  of  trifling  negroes,  when  an  epidemic  breaks  out 
among  them.  The  more  call  for  neatness,  the  filthier  they  become. 
However,  the  weather  is  execrable.  I  think  I  must  have  had  a  touch  of 
the  same  fever  at  Manassas  week  before  last.  Since  then  I  have  been 
able  to  do  more,  and  have  had  better  health,  than  at  any  time  in  camp. 
I  am  now  taking  a  grain  of  quinine  daily  as  a  precaution.  Some  may 
think  that  this  epidemic  in  the  regiment  ought  to  induce  me  to  postpone 
my  return  home,  and  stick  by  the  men  till  they  get  through  their 
troubles;-  but  the  fact  is  that  when  they  get  sick,  they  scatter  com- 
pletely out  of  my  power,  and  there  is  less  of  a  charge  to  keep  me  here 
than  if  they  were  generally  well. 

"I  wrote  you  a  long  letter  Tuesday,  which  I  hope  you  have  gotten. 
I  hope  I  shall  soon  be  at  home,  my  best  beloved,  and  that  a  good  Provi- 
dence will  allow  us  to  enjoy  the  happiness  of  each  other's  society.  Love 
to  all.  Your  own,  R.  L.  D." 

Dr.  Dabney  had  proposed  to  serve  but  four  months  on  this 
occasion.  The  Seminary  Directors  had  ordered  that  the  Semi- 
nary should  be  kept  open.  When  the  time  approached  for  him 
to  return  to  the  Seminary,  his  brother,  Capt.  C.  W.  Dabney, 
remonstrated.    On  August  24th  he  wrote : 

"Can't  you  compromise  by  waiting  till  the  active  campaign  is  over — 
say,  two  months  later?  I  fear  the  effect  of  any  considerate  person's 
returning  from  the  army  to  civil  life.  Our  efforts  are  so  unnatural  and 
so  overstrained,  but  still  so  needful,  that  I  fear  any  relaxation  in  any 
quarter.  We  have  indications  here  of  this  tendency.  I  will  not  acknow- 
ledge it  myself,  even  to  the  extent  of  entering  some  more  appropriate 
branch  of  the  public  service." 


In  the  War-Time.  243 

But  there  were  imperative  reasons  for  his  return  to  his  home 
and  to  the  Seminary.  One  of  these  was  that  he  was  destined 
to  a  long  attack  of  camp  fever,  and  needed  the  home  nursing. 
The  other  he  sets  forth  in  a  letter  to  his  brother,  under  date  of 
October  31st.    He  writes: 

"Whether  you  and  I  can  agree  or  not,  as  to  the  proprietj^  of  keeping 
up  the  Colleges  and  Seminaries,  my  own  course  was  settled  by  consid- 
erations too  decisive  for  any  one  to  dispute  them.  The  governors  of 
this  Seminary,  who  employ  me  would  in  no  wise  consent  to  close  it 
during  the  war.  They  very  justly  see  reasons  of  peculiar  force  for 
keeping  it  open  at  this  time.  It  would  have  been  utterly  useless  for  me 
to  ask  them  for  a  furlough  for  a  year.  The  only  terms  on  which  I 
could  get  away  would  be  by  just  resigning  my  place,  and  letting  them 
elect  another  professor;  but  to  sacrifice  an  eligible  place  for  a  life-time, 
for  an  army  chaplaincy  of  one  or  two  years,  would  be  a  bad  bargain  in 
every  sense.  I  do  not  think  that  the  country  has  much  to  complain  of, 
however,  as  to  our  keeping  young  men  out  of  the  ranks.  Of  the  thirty- 
nine  students  we  had  last  year,  fully  twenty  went  into  the  army.  Only 
three  of  these  are  here  now  (three  of  McClellan's  prisoners  of  war). 
This  is  pretty  well  for  young  divines.  The  Presbyterian  has  often  been 
called  the  Church  Militant.    We  now  have  about  twenty  students  here." 

During  this  summer.  Dr.  Dabney  had  renewed  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  great  Jackson.  They  had  known  each  other 
before,  but  so  slight  was  their  acquaintance  that,  upon  their 
meeting  about  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Manassas,  General 
Jackson  did  not  recognize  Mr.  Dabney ;  but  their  intercourse 
during  that  summer  was  the  beginning  of  a  friendship  that 
led  to  some  singular  and  distinguished  results. 

It  is  necessary  to  recall,  at  this  place,  certain  events  in  the 
history  of  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  the  United  States  of 
America.  The  Northern  majority  in  the  Old  School  General 
Assembly,  sitting  in  Philadelphia  in  May,  1861,  had  passed 
their  Spring  Resolutions.  The  New  School  Assembly,  still 
more  rabid,  had  already  driven  out  their  Southern  members  in 
1857.  These  had  formed  themselves  into  the  United  Synod  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America.  The 
New  School  Church,  North,  had  invaded  the  rights  of  Southern 
Christians  in  a  manner  more  intolerable  than  the  Old  School. 
The  Spring  Resolutions  of  the  Old  School  undertook  to 
decide  for  all  members  of  that  church.  North,  South,  East, 
and  West,  the  legal  and  political  questions  by  which  the  country 


244        Life  and  Lettkrs  of  Ror.ERT  Lewis  Dabxev. 

was  divided,  and  to  give  to  the  Federal  Government  at  Wash- 
ington the  active  allegiance  of  them  all.  at  the  cost  of  overt 
treason  on  the  part  of  the  Southerners  to  their  several  State 
governments,  the  States  having  the  original,  and  more  imme- 
diate claim  to  allegiance.  This  Dr.  Dabney  pronounced  to  be 
"of  the  essence  of  popery." 

As  the  Presbyteries  which  formed  the  United  Synod  of  the 
South  had  done  in  the  summer  of  1857,  so  did  the  Old  School 
Presbyteries  in  the  Confederate  States  of  America  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1 86 1.  They  declared  their  independence  of  the  Assem- 
bly in  the  United  States  of  America,  condemning  its  usurping 
acts.  In  the  fall  the  Synods  began  to  take  similar  action.  The 
Synod  of  Virginia  met  in  October,  in  the  Second  Church,  of 
Petersburg.  Dr.  Dabney,  the  retiring  Moderator,  preached  the 
opening  sermon,  and  organized  the  new  house.  He  kept  every 
particle  of  politics  out  of  his  sermon,  and  preached  in  a  most 
spiritual  tone  on  the  topic,  "The  necessity  of  deep  personal 
piety  to  a  minister's  usefulness."  But  it  was  inevitable  that  the 
Synod  should  consider  its  church  relations.  The  records  of  the 
Presbyteries  submitted  to  this  Synod  showed  that  all  of  them 
had  severed  their  connection  with  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  and  had 
appointed  commissioners  to  organize  a  General  Assembl}^  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Confederate  States  of  America, 
on  the  basis  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Discipline.  A 
strong  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  terms  of  action.  Dr. 
Dabney  was  made  its  chairman.  The  report  of  this  committee, 
which  was  adopted,  resolved,  "That  we  do  heartily  sanction 
and  approved"  this  action  of  the  Presbyteries,  on  the  ground 
that  the  Philadelphia  Assembly,  in  requiring  us  "to  strengthen, 
uphold  and  encourage  the  Federal  Government,"  was  "unjust, 
harsh  and  unconstitutional,"  on  the  ground  that  the  Spring 
Resolutions  violated  the  Confession  of  Faith,  Chap.  XXXL, 
Sec.  4;  and  on  the  ground  that  they  were  actually  under 
another  dc  facto  government.  Jt  resolved,  further,  that  the 
commissioners  elected  should  go  to  Augusta,  (ja.,  and  there,  on 
the  4th  day  of  December,  t86i,  take  part  in  the  organization  of 
the  new  Assembly,  and,  while  leaving  the  mode  of  procedure 
in  organizing  the  Assembly  to  the  commissioners  there  to  be 
gathered,  outlined  a  noble  plan  of  organization,  looking  toward 
energy  and  economy  and  efificiency  of  administration.  The 
paper    is    redolent    of    high    consecration,    humble    ]iiet\-.    and 


IX   THE   War-TiA1E.  245 

earnest  desire  for  the  glory  of  God  in  the  edification  of  saints 
and  the  ingathering  of  multitudes  into  the  fold.- 

He  was  not  to  serve  the  church  by  going  to  the  constituting 
Assembly  at  Augusta.  He  had  the  feeling  in  Petersburg  that 
he  was  somehow  not  himself.  He  could  not  get  his  mind  to 
work  quite  clearly.  He  was  not  satisfied  with  his  own  draft  of 
the  enactment.  He  could  not  get  it  "straight."  A  few  weeks 
later  he  knew  why.  He  went  home  to  suiter,  and  after  a  few 
weeks,  to  take  his  bed,  of  camp  fever.  This  prevented  his  going 
to  Georgia  to  take  part  in  the  organization  of  the  church. 

The  session  of  the  Seminary  i86i-'62  was  not  of  the  most 
satisfactory  sort.  The  students  were  few,  only  twenty.  Men's 
hearts  were  in  the  war.  Many  kinds  of  business  pressed  on  the 
professor;  there  were  many  inevitable  interruptions  and  dis- 
tractions ;  but  he  did  vigorous  work,  so  far  as  the  times  and 
circumstances  allowed.  No  man  more  vigorous.  Late  in  the 
winter  of  i86i-"62,  Congress  passed  the  conscript  law,  and 
thus  swept  all  the  students  into  the  army,  and  emptied  the 
Seminary.  Meanwhile  he  had  taken  up  his  pastoral  work  in 
the  College  Church. 

Upon  his  return  home  in  the  fall,  he  had  found  himself  much 
immersed  in  business.  It  was  already  becoming  difiicult  to 
secure  the  comforts  and  necessities  of  family  life ;  but  he  was 
a  "shifty"  man,  and  did  the  best  he  could.  Because  he  could 
have  the  work  done  more  cheaply  there,  he  wrote  to  his  mother, 
in  Louisa,  please  to  have  some  little  "brogue  shoes"  made  for 
his  children,  "Charley's  about  as  stout  as  Frank's,  Tom's  about 
like  Bob's,  and  Sam's  like  Janey's.  I  send  measures  which  are 
the  exact  length  of  the  foot.  Their  feet,  especially  Charley's, 
are  pretty  good  chunks,  and  high  in  the  instep.  A  child's  shoes 
should  always  he  made  full  large.  Tell  Frank,  if  he  can  get 
them,  some  chance  will  otter  to  send  them  to  Synod  at  Peters- 
burg whence  I  can  bring  them ;  or  else,  Mrs.  Eliazbeth  Brown 
{  Central  Presbyterian)  will  send  them  up." 

He  was  concerned  not  only  ior  his  own  immediate  family, 
])ut  for  those  of  his  mother  and  his  brothers  in  Louisa  and 
Hanover  counties.  He  and  his  mother  and  his  brothers,  largely 
under  his  inspiration,  rented,  about  the  beginning  of  1862,  a 
large  body  of  land  in  Henry  county,  \'a.,  and  went  into  farming 
extensively.     His  idea  was  to  get  the  surplus  slaves  from  the 

'See  Minutes  of  Synod  of  J'irginia,  1861,  pp.  285,  286. 


246        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

several  sources  in  a  safe  section,  and  to  produce  crops  there  for 
their  support,  in  case  of  their  having  to  refugee,  otherwise  to 
raise  these  crops  for  sale  that  they  might  have  a  more  comfort- 
able support  in  their  several  homes.  They  were  fortunate  in 
securing  an  excellent  overseer,  and  made  some  very  large  crops. 
The  plan  of  refugeeing  was  not  carried  out.  The  moneys  thus 
raised  went  the  way  of  most  Southern  moneys  of  the  time.  He 
•gave  to  this  enterprise  not  a  little  of  his  spare  time  and  thought. 
During  the  course  of  this  Seminary  session,  he  wrote  a  letter 
to  a  young  friend  and  student  on  how  the  first  year  after  mar- 
riage should  be  spent,  which  is  at  once  so  pleasing  and  so 
characteristic  that  it  is  worthy  of  the  reader's  perusal : 

''October  10,  1861. 

"My  Dear  Young  Friend  :  Your  letter  of  the  7th  (you  said  Sep- 
tember 7th,  but,  I  suppose,  meant  October  7th)  reached  me  in  due 
course.  The  compliment  you  pay  me  by  asking  my  advice  in  the  cir- 
cumstances I  feel  very  sensibly.  I  hope  that  I  shall  never  cease  to  value 
very  highly  the  affectionate  confidence  of  the  young,  and  that  my  heart 
will  never  become  so  old  and  ossified  as  not  to  feel  the  liveliest  sympa- 
thies with  the  tender  and  delicate  affection,  from  the  consummation 
of  which  you  are  expecting  so  much  happiness.  My  advice  is  based 
Avholly  on  my  views  of  what  is  for  your  own  good. 

"First,  as  to  duty :  taking,  as  a  postulate  to  start  from,  that  God 
has  shown  it  to  be  your  duty  to  preach  his  gospel,  and  that  your  con- 
science shows  you  that  you  will  be  happiest  in  this  calling;  then,  I  say, 
it  is  every  way  best  to  save  time,  as  a  matter  of  duty  to  perishing  souls, 
of  professional  advancement,  of  mental  cultivation  and  progress,  and 
of  pecuniary  economy,  it  is  best  you  should  not  lose  a  year.  (Weigh 
each  of  these  points.)  Especially,  as  it  is  now  decided  that  you  marry 
this  fall,  your  professional  education  should  be  pushed  on  at  once,  before 
family  cares  and  interruptions  accumulate  on  you.  And  remember, 
that  if  you  make  your  first  married  year  a  holiday,  you  will  be  none 
the  less  eating  and  spending  money  (perhaps  more  so  than  if  at  work), 
while  the  commencement  of  your  professional  earnings  is  postponed 
one  year. 

"Next,  as  to  your  enjoyment  and  happiness :  I  have  been  a  young 
man  engaged  and  a  bridegroom  married.  I  have  experienced  what  you 
now  experience,  the  anticipations  and  earnest  longings  for  the  realiza- 
tion of  hope,  sometimes  rapturous  and  sometimes  agitating.  I  have 
also  experienced  what  you  have  not  yet  experienced — the  life  of  the 
husband  after  marriage.  Now,  understand  me;  what  I  have  to  say  is 
not  prompted  at  all  by  that  sneering,  cold  feeling  which  many  elderly 
people  assume  towards  young  lovers.  Those  sneers  are  as  repulsive 
to  me  now  as  when  I  was  a  young  lover.     I  regard  the  rich  affections 


In  the  War-Time.  247 

of  two  young  hearts,  united  by  chaste  and  virtuous  aspirations,  as  no 
proper  object  for  contemptuous  badinage;  but,  on  the  contrary,  a  sacred 
and  precious  thing.  Would  to  God  all  old  people  could  preserve 
throughout  the  tenderness  of  those  affections.  They  are  a  loan  from 
God,  to  be  jealously  cherished;  and  to  be  made  mutually  as  abiding  and 
sweet  as  this  rude  world  will  permit.  But  I  am  certain  that  you  will 
bf,  on  the  whole,  far  happier  to  go  to  work  at  once.  (If  you  are  to 
begin  this  session,  it  is  far  best  you  should  not  lose  a  day  more,  for 
your  class-mates  that  will  be,  are  advancing  ahead  of  you.)  I  believe 
that  the  interval  of  suspense  between  now  and  your  marriage  will  pass 
more  easily,  by  just  bending  your  mind  at  once  to  work ;  that  the  effort 
will  be  an  invaluable  discipline  to  you,  and  that  the  calm  consciousness 
of  having  done  your  duty  herein  will  greatly  elevate  and  purify  your 
happiness  afterwards.  As  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  honeymoon,  young 
people  usually  make,  or  permit  their  friends  to  make,  a  great  mistake 
in  having  a  confused  and  crowded  round  of  parties  and  bustle.  You 
v.ill  find  all  this  a  terrible  infliction  and  affliction.  The  mind  craves 
comparative  solitude,  quietude  and  regularity.  All  this  garish  light  of 
parties  and  crowds  is  grating.  xA.nd  to  have  steady  occupation  will 
increase,  instead  of  detracting  from,  the  joys  of  the  society  you  love. 
As  ballast  steadies  the  bark  before  the  gay,  spanking  breeze,  so  regular 
occupation  will  steady  and  promote  the  happiness  of  your  honeymoon. 
It  may  be  made  less  noisy,  but  it  will  be  more  abiding  and  satisfying. 
The  way  to  enjoy  creature  bliss  is  to  have  it  seasoned  with  the  calm 
joys  of  a  good  conscience  and  the  assurance  of  God's  favor. 
"With  love  to  your  father. 

'Truly  3-our  friend,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

This  is  the  letter  of  a  clear-sighted,  profound,  earnest,  and 
happily  married  man.  It  is  a  sweet  letter,  and  it  is  a  great 
letter,  the  letter  of  a  husband  who  was  a  lover,  a  philosopher, 
and  a  man  of  God. 

The  Lord's  hand  lay  heavy  on  him  in  afflictions  in  this  winter 
of  1861-62.  During  the  latter  part  of  November,  and  the 
months  of  December  and  January,  he  had  his  first  spell  of  camp 
fever.  This  was  no  slight  affliction  under  the  circumstances, 
but  it  was  as  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  loss  of  his  sister 
Betty.  During  the  winter  of  i86o-'6i  she  had  begun  to  show 
symptoms  of  bronchitis.  "The  sorrows  of  the  w^ar  pressed  hard 
upon  her  gentle  heart.  The  disease  strengthened  its  hold  in  the 
autumn  of  1861,  and  she  was  confined  to  her  room,  and  then  to 
her  bed."    He  writes  to  her  on  December  22nd : 

"My  Dearest  Sister:  While  all  but  Sammy  Brown  and  I  have  gone 
to  church,  I  avail  myself  of  the  quiet  hour  to  make  the  first  experiment 


248        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

of  my  convalescence  in  writing  to  you.  As  you  see,  my  hand  is  still 
far  from  being  steady ;  but  I  will  try  to  make  it  legible ;  and  when  it 
ceases  to  be  I  will  stop.  To  whom  should  I  write  first  after  my  partial 
recovery,  but  to  my  best  beloved  sister,  especially  as  you  are  now  pass- 
ing under  affliction  and  experiencing  what  I  have  so  lately  felt,  the 
languor  of  the  sick-room,  and  the  hope  deferred  which  maketh  the  heart 
sick.  You  cannot  tell  how  much  I  have  been  affected  and  moved  by 
your  sickness.  A  large  part  of  every  prayer  I  try  to  offer  is  for  you. 
Shall  I  tell  you  what  I  pray  for?  First,  that  you  may  possess  a  sustain- 
ing faith,  and  that  'the  joy  of  the  Lord  may  be  your  strength';  and 
that  patience  may  have  its  perfect  work  in  you.  Second,  that  for  the 
sake  of  mamma,  and  of  all  of  us,  rather  than  for  your  own  sake,  your 
disease  ma}'  be  speedily  rebuked  and  your  health  firmly  restored.  For 
j'ou  have  lived  so  entirely  for  others,  and  I  feel  such  strong  confidence 
in  the  mercy  and  faithfulness  of  your  Saviour,  that  he  will  enable  you 
to  triumph  in  every  circumstance  and  condition,  that  I  feel  as  if  you 
were  personally  less  concerned  in  the  issues  of  life  and  death  to  your- 
self than  we  are.  Yet  I  know  life  is  dear  to  every  human  being.  In- 
stinct alone  would  determine  this,  without  affection  and  reason.  And 
I  feel  a  strong  trust  that  you  will  be  given  to  our  prayers.  There  are 
many  praying  for  you,  many  of  whom,  I  know,  are  dear  to  God  our 
Saviour. 

"Prayer  is  answered  by  means;  and  one  means  is  the  best  medical 
skill.  I  took  the  liberty  of  writing  to  Dr.  John  Staige  Davis,  professor 
ill  the  University,  to  inquire  if  he  could  visit  you.  I  enclose  his  answer. 
If  you  feel  strong  enough  for  tlie  journey,  I  am  perfectly  clear  that 
you  ought  to  go,  with  sister  Anne  for  a  nurse.  Take  a  room  at  Miss 
Terrell's,  and  get  him  to  give  you  a  thorough  examination.  My  reasons 
are  that  he  has  made  throat  diseases  a  special  study.  When  Prof.  John 
Minor  was  apparently  dying  with  one,  he  went  with  him  to  New  York 
to  .see  the  celebrated  Dr.  Green,  mastered  his  method,  and  continued 
his  practice  on  Minor,  until,  from  having  one  foot  in  the  grave,  he 
became  a  fat,  hearty  man  like  Napoleon  Kean.  I  believe  Davis  has 
more  skill  than  any  man  in  the  South  in  these  diseases;  and  he  is  a 
gentleman,  without  a  particle  of  the  charlatan  about  him.  His  methods 
go  right  to  the  seat  of  the  disease.  It  requires  so  much  dexterity  to 
use  them  that  the  most  of  regular  physicians,  being  utterly  unable  to 
do  so  themselves,  disbelieve  that  it  is  done ;  but  there  is  no  doubt  about 
it.  Another  means  of  'health  is  peace  of  mind.  You  should  studj'  this; 
and  dismiss  every  cause  of  gnawing  anxiety,  and  thoroughly  conquer 
and  explode  everything  that  is  preying  on  your  feelings.  There  is  but 
one  sure  panacea  for  the  cares  of  anxious  hearts:  it  is  that  inculcated 
by  Paul  in  Phil.  iv.  6  and  7. 

"As  for  myself,  I  am  now  down  stairs,  sitting  uj)  all  day.  or  nearly 
so;  gaining  some  strength,  and  with  all  my  .symptoms  much  improved, 
except  the  quickened  pulse  and  slight  nervousness  at  night.    This  sticks 


Ix  THE  War-Time.  249 

to  me;  but  it  is  in  reality  no  new  thing;  I  have  had  it  more  or  less 
for  months— perhaps  I  might  say  years,  ofif  and  on.  I  have  attempted 
no  regular  occupation  yet.  Writing  this  has  fatigued  me  a  good  deal, 
and  I  must  stop.  I  was  greatly  obliged  to  Frank  for  his  visit,  and  to 
all  of  you  for  sparing  him.  it  was  a  great  cordial  to  me.  Best  love 
to  mamma.  I  have  lost  so  much  time  from  my  classes  that,  if  able  to 
teach,  I  must  go  to  work  diligently.  Do  get  Frank  to  write  every  mail 
nnd  let  us  know  how  you  are. 

"Your  affectionate  brother. 

"R.   L.  Dabnev." 

By  February.  1862.  he  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  visit  her. 
On  the  22nd  of  February,  while  they  were  inaugurating  Jeffer- 
son Davis,  in  Richmond,  as  President  of  the  Confederacy,  she 
died  in  his  arms.  She  had  become  a  woman  of  remarkable 
graces  of  body,  mind,  and  character.  Her  brother  Robert  had 
done  much  to  mould  her  character.  She  was  at  once  sister  and 
daughter  to  him ;  and  he  almost  idolized  her.  In  the  following 
paper  he  presents,  with  awful  realism,  the  circumstances  of  her 
death,  and  celebrates  the  merits  of  her  life  and  character :  ^ 

"Yesterday,  February  22,  1862,  my  best  beloved  sister,  Betty,  died 
i'l  my  arms.  I  have  concluded  that  it  will  be  well  to  write  down,  while 
they  are  fresh  in  my  memory,  some  memoranda  of  her  last  days,  to 
refresh  my  own  memory  in  after  years,  should  it  please  God  to  prolong 
my  days,  and  to  aid  in  ripening  my  thoughts  for  the  grave,  where  I 
must  before  long  join  her.  Her  constitution  from  youth  showed  a 
slight  scrofulous  tendency,  and  more  than  once  we  were  alarmed  by 
bronchial  and  pulmonary  symptoms.  But  in  the  fall  of  i86o-'6i  her 
health  became  more  seriously  impaired.  In  the  spring  of  1861  this 
cruel  war  came  on,  in  which  she  took  as  keen  an  interest  as  her  patriot- 
ism, honor  and  virtue  indicated.  She  was  constant  in  labors  beyond 
her  strength  for  the  soldiers  in  the  army,  both  for  the  volunteers  of  her 
country  and  for  more  intimate  friends.  I  saw  her  twice  during  the 
months  of  August  and  September,  but  hurriedly ;  I  saw  that  she  looked 
fatigued  and  wasted ;  but  her  uncomplaining  spirit,  her  generous  self- 
devotion,  and  her  joy  in  recent  triumphs,  made  her  conceal  her  real 
weakness  from  me;  and  my  eyes  were  strongly  holden  that  I  did  not 
suspect  the  alarming  truth.  She  was  then  in  full  activity,  performing 
all  her  accustomed  duties  with  spirit,  yet  really  unable  and  fitter  for  a 
sick  couch.  In  November,  being  then  confined  myself  with  a  lingering 
camp  fever,  I  was  notified  that  she  had  been  compelled  by  a  severe 
cough  to  submit  to  confinement  in  her  room  and  medical  treatment. 

'  This  paper  was  put  away  with  title-deeds  and  most  carefully  pre- 
served for  years. 


250        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dahney. 

As  soon  as  I  got  well  enough,  which  was  only  about  February,  I  began 
tc  plan  a  short  visit  to  her ;  but  her  own  cheerful  messages,  the  lack 
of  candor  in  my  relatives,  themselves  deceived  as  to  her  real  state,  and 
the  wretched  weather,  with  close  occupation,  still  made  me  delay  till 
seven  days  ago.  I  had,  meantime,  grown  thoroughly  alarmed  about 
her  hopeless  condition  of  health,  and  although  still  ignorant  how  near 
she  was  to  the  grave,  had  made  up  my  mind  that  we  should,  in  all 
human  likelihood,  have  to  give  her  up.  Last  Monday  I  started  to  visit 
her,  via  Richmond,  in  a  heavy  sleet.  In  that  city  I  learned  that  my 
aunt,  Jane  D.  Winston,  would  be  on  the  morning  train  with  me,  with 
the  corpse  of  her  only  son,  Richard,  who  died  last  Sunday  of  pneu- 
monia. Thereupon  I  at  once  changed  my  plan  so  far  as  to  go  to  this 
funeral  on  the  way,  and  spend  Tuesday  night  with  my  afflicted  aunt. 
Wednesday  morning  I  started  again,  on  a  horse  borrowed  of  her,  com- 
ing by  my  brother  William's ;  but.  in  consequence  of  the  wretched 
roads,  weather  and  fatigue,  I  did  not  reach  mamma's  till  Thursday 
before  dinner.  When  my  mother  met  me  I  perceived  from  her  emotion 
that  the  end  was  nearer  than  I  had  supposed,  and  she  told  me  that  I 
had  been  written  to,  to  come  at  once,  if  possible,  a  day  or  two  before. 

"After  going  to  prepare  my  poor  sister  for  meeting  me,  she  took 
mo  into  the  little  chamber  where  she  had  spent  the  gloomy  winter. 
Although  successively  prepared  to  expect  the  worst,  I  was  shocked  at 
her  appearance  and  decay.  Her  strength  was  greatly  wasted,  her  face 
and  frame  emaciated,  her  cheeks  hollow,  her  complexion  wan,  and  her 
face  stamped  with  that  peculiar  and  most  touching  expression  of 
anxiety  which  always  accompanies  impeded  respiration.  Only  her  lovely 
eyes  were  themselves,  large,  beaming  through  their  tender  dew,  with 
delight  and  love,  and  at  once  laughing  and  weeping  with  joy.  Her 
hair,  too,  was  as  silky  as  ever,  and  as  glossy.  Knowing  that  vivid 
emotion  of  any  kind  was  likely  to  provoke  a  fit  of  labored  breathing. 
I  met  her  as  calmly  and  cheerfully  as  was  consistent  with  affection. 
Her  voice  especially,  once  so  musical,  was  completely  gone  to  a  husky 
whisper,  and  this  uttered  with  painful  effort.  As  soon  as  I  greeted  her 
my  heart  smote  me  dolefully  with  these  words,  'Sweet  sister,  farewell : 
you  are  lost  to  us  for  this  world.'  The  last  ray  of  hope  was  quenched. 
Yet  how  lovely  and  loving,  how  bright  was  the  affection  with  which 
she  greeted  me.  She  said,  after  the  usual  inquiries,  T  suppose  you  find 
me  much  changed.'  I  replied,  'Your  eyes,  at  least,  are  still  the  same :' 
when  she  answered,  'Ah!  they  are  changed,  too;  they  weep  too  much 
for  my  pains.'  Her  distress  was  from  a  most  acutely  sore  throat,  which 
rendered  coughing  an  agony,  and  the  intense  pain  with  which  all  food 
and  medicines  were  swallowed.  Much  of  her  emaciation  was  from  the 
cause  that  the  effort  of  eating  was  such  torture  that  enough  nourish- 
ment could  not  be  taken,  nor  in  sufficient  comfort,  to  sustain  nature. 
Every  night  she  was  feverish,  and  liable  to  fearful  paroxysms  of  diffi- 
cult respiration ;  and  her  rest  was  purchased  only  at  the  expense  of  an 


In  the  War-Time.  251 

opiate.  Yet  Thursday  afternoon  and  evening  were  passed  by  us,  I  con- 
stantly in  her  room,  in  much  cheerful  conversation,  in  which  her  amiable 
wit  still  shone  out.  Friday  morning,  mamma  told  me  that  her  night 
had  been  bad— worse  than  usual ;  yet  she  greeted  me  with  a  smile ;  and 
her  temper  was  cheerful  and  patient  as  ever.  The  whole  of  the  day 
Friday  I  also  spent  in  her  room,  except  so  much  as  was  necessarily 
devoted  to  the  offices  of  her  nurses.  I  read  to  her,  sung  for  her  'Jeru- 
salem, My  Happy  Home,'  etc.  Availing  myself  of  a  private  hour,  I 
communed  with  her  fully  touching  her  spiritual  state.  What  little  she 
was  able  to  say  was  all  calm,  and  marked  by  her  characteristic  humility 
and  diffidence  of  herself.  She  said  that  her  belief  in  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion, and  in  the  faithfulness  and  sufficiency  of  Christ,  to  all  who  truly 
trust  in  him,  was  complete;  and  so  was  her  purpose  fixed  to  cleave  to 
him  in  faith  to  the  end:  but  sometimes  she  was  troubled  with  some 
doubts  whether  she  exercised  a  real  trust  because  her  hope  was  devoid 
of  much  of  the  joy  and  brightness  of  which  she  had  heard  in  some 
experiences  and  biographies.  I  explained  to  her  that  the  best  saints 
have  always  found  the  assurance  of  hope  only  by  looking  away  from 
themselves  to  Christ.  I  unfolded  the  manner  in  which  a  humble  hope 
usually  acts.  She  then  said,  with  great  firmness  and  quietness,  l  can 
meet  death  in  dependence  on  the  Saviour;  I  am  not  afraid  to  do  it:' 
and  added  that  it  was  not  death  itself  she  feared,  but  its  incidents; 
especially  as  she  had  suffered  so  much  from  impeded  breathing,  and 
expected  to  have  her  life  ended  from  that  immediate  cause.  I  replied 
that,  if  it  pleased  God  to  disappoint  our  hopes  of  her  ultimate  recovery, 
she  must  trust  a  faithful  Saviour  to  conquer  this  bodily  anguish  too. 

"After  this  her  intercourse,  as  far  as  pain  would  allow,  was  affec- 
tionate, bright  and  as  self-forgetful  as  ever.  When  bed-time  approached 
she  seemed  no  worse,  having  sat  up  on  a  chair  and  eaten  her  usual 
supper  of  milk  and  mush.  I  bade  her  good-night,  saying  I  hoped  she 
would  have  more  quiet  rest.  But  in  this  we  were  all  disappointed.  Our 
sister  Anne  was  fortunately  one  of  her  nurses  that  night,  along  with 
the  excellent  and  tender  Miss  Sally  Shelton.  Her  night  was  sleepless 
and  disturbed  by  difficulty  of  breathing.  About  3 :  30  o'clock  Saturday 
morning  she  asked  for  me,  and  in  a  few  moments  I  was  by  her  side. 
I  found  her  suffering  much,  propped  up  on  pillows,  laboring  for  respira- 
tion. The  only  change  I  then  noticed  was  in  her  eyes.  The  cheerful 
sparkle  and  light  of  love  were  gone :  the  great,  dewy,  black  orbs,  shaded 
by  her  long,  drooping  lashes,  shed  a  beam  of  inexpressible  sadness, 
bordering  on  despair;  and  this  look,  which  I  shall  never  forget,  but 
cannot  describe,  they  wore  to  the  last  conscious  moment.  I  stood  by 
her  till  the  gray  dawn  came  sadly  on,  between  six  and  seven  o'clock, 
administering  such  remedies  for  her  breathing  as  we  could  devise;  and 
she  seemed  to  find  some  partial  alleviation,  and  even  caught  one  or 
two  moments  of  sleep.  I  then  left  her  to  rest  till  breakfast-time;  when 
1  was  again  called,  as  her  distress  had  returned.     Yet,  with  her  usual 


252        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney, 

self-forgetfulness,  she  insisted  on  my  taking  breakfast.  I  went  and 
swallowed  a  few  mouthfuls  and  returned.  The  fearful  paroxysms  of 
short  breathing  returned  with  increased  frequency.  The  cruel  labor 
bathed  her  poor  frame  in  perspiration ;  and  her  fluttering  pulse  was  onlj^ 
kept  from  sinking  by  wine  and  water.  Finding  that  she  suffered  more 
from  an  uneasy  position,  I  got  on  the  bed  behind  her,  and  raised  her 
on  my  bosom,  sustaining  her  head  in  my  hand.  (The  poor  soul  had 
said,  some  nights  before  I  came,  when  she  supposed  herself  dying  from 
loss  of  breath,  that  she  'lacked  only  one  thing — to  have  brother  Robert 
support  her  in  his  arms  till  she  was  gone.')  And  this  position  she  kept 
for  two  hours  (hours  of  agony,  which  wrung  my  heart  so  that  it  was 
too  uneasy  a  pillow  for  her  head),  till  all  was  over.  In  the  slight  inter- 
vals of  her  pain  I  repeated  to  her  some  of  the  most  precious  gospel 
promises.  She  prompted  me  when  I  paused,  saying,  'Yes,  tell  me  of 
the  Saviour  and  heaven.'  At  another  time  she  said,  'Can't  you  tell  me  of 
my  meeting  with  the  angels?'  About  this  time  she  said,  'Perhaps  I 
think  too  much  about  the  material  beauties  of  heaven.  Is  this  a  sin?' 
'No,  my  darling;  no,'  I  replied,  'it  is  natural  to  you.'  She  was  indeed 
a  soul  exquisitely  strung  to  every  beauty  of  nature  and  art,  and  her 
nature  could  not  have  been  true  to  itself,  had  not  it  thrilled  with  the 
anticipations  of  that  bright  world.  About  this  stage  of  her  sufferings 
also  she  said,  'Read  me.  "Sweet  Fields  Beyond  the  Swelling  Flood."  ' 
Her  tender  nurse,  Sally  Shelton,  got  the  hymn-book  and  read  it  to 
her.  Then,  seeming  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  dreary  and  miserable 
weather  which  prevailed  abroad,  through  the  window  opposite  to  her, 
she  said,  'Oh !  I  want  to  see  that  world  of  sunlight,  where  the  Lamb 
is  the  light.'  I  then  repeated  for  her  that  blessed  passage  from  the 
Revelation  to  which  she  alluded,  and  she  nodded  her  satisfaction.  By 
this  time  two  physicians  had  arrived,  and  were  making  vain  efforts  to 
relieve  her  respiration.  To  Dr.  Kean,  her  regular  physician,  she  said, 
'O  Doctor,  how  long  will  this  last?  Oh!  I  am  so  long  dying;  I  have  so 
much  strength.'  He  replied.  'My  dear  Miss  Betty,  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  tell.'  She  then  said  to  me,  'Pray  that  I  may  go  quickly.  Oh !  I 
can't  stand  it  any  more.'  I  replied,  'My  precious  darling,  we  are  all 
praying  for  you  every  moment  a  better  prayer  than  this,  that  your 
Saviour  will  enable  you  to  sustain  it  without  rebelling.  This  is  proba- 
bly the  last  trial  of  your  faith  ;  if  you  submit  meekly  to  this,  the  triumph 
and  glory  will  then  follow,  and  you  will  rest  from  suffering  forever.' 
I  also  pointed  her  to  the  example  of  Christ's  suffering  on  the  cross, 
saying,  'He  suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example  that  we  should  follow 
in  his  steps.'  After  a  little  she  said,  'It  is  only  the  outward  suffering 
that  troubles  me.'  I  said,  inquiringly.  'Beloved,  then  all  is  peace  within 
your  soul  ?'     She  nodded,  yes. 

"About  this  time  she  seemed  to  conclude  that  the  last  moments 
were  rapidly  approaching,  for  she  began,  with  little  intervals  of  panting, 
to  call  first  for  mamma,  to  take  leave  of  her,  with  a  request  for  a  for- 


In  the  War-Time.  2:;3 

giveness  for  all  filial  short-comings,  and  then  for  her  other  relatives  in 
the  house,  with  messages  to  absent  relatives  and  friends.  To  mamma 
she  said,  'I  always  wanted  to  die  before  you ;  I  didn't  want  you  to  die 
and  leave  me  here;  and  now  I  am  going;  and  you  will  soon  join  me.' 
'Yes,  my  darling,'  she  answered,  almost  broken-hearted,  'I  shan't  be 
long  behind  you.'  And  this  parting  was  strictly  in  accordance  with 
their  life  together,  the  most  touching  instance  of  maternal  and  filial 
tenderness  and  unselfish  devotion  I  have  ever  beheld.  Each  seemed 
to  live  only  in  the  other.  To  brother  Frank  she  said,  'Forgive 
me  for  all  the  trouble  and  worry  I  have  caused  you,'  and  'Give 
my  love  to  the  dear  children,  and  raise  them  so  that  I  may  see  them 
in  heaven.'  About  this  time  I  noticed  the  first  appearance  of  failure 
in  any  faculty;  her  eyes  being  either  closed  or  sightless,  she  seemed 
to  forget  that  she  had  taken  leave  of  some,  and  called  for  them  a 
second  time.  But  still  she  was  rational.  She  did  not  forget  to  send  her 
love  to  my  wife  and  little  children. 

"x\bout  this  time,  her  strength  rapidly  declining,  her  bodily  anguish 
seemed  to  become  uncontrollable,  and  she  began  to  beseech  the  phy- 
sicians for  some  anodyne,  saying,  'O  Doctor,  give  me  something  to 
make  me  insensible,'  repeating  her  request  with  a  pathos  and  urgency 
that  was  enough  to  tear  a  heart  of  stone.  Dr.  Kean  replied,  with  great 
feeling,  'My  dear  Miss  Betty,  I  cannot.  Life  is  God's  gift,  and  I  dare 
not  do  anything  to  abridge  it.  That  is  not  my  office.'  She  replied  by 
new  solicitations.  The  Doctor  tried  to  explain  to  her  that  laudanum. 
even,  the  most  active  anodyne  at  hand,  would  not  have  the  desired 
eflfect  under  an  hour,  and  that  meantime  it  would  greatly  aggravate 
her  difficulty  of  respiration  by  hurrying  the  circulation,  adding,  again, 
that  he  dared  not  sin  by  abridging  that  life  which  God  alone  was  entitled 
to  take.  She  replied,  'Oh  !  give  it  to  me,  not  to  shorten  life,  but  to 
make  me  insensible  to  my  sufferings.  Aunt  Betsy  was  allowed  to  take 
it  for  this  when  she  was  dying:  why  may  not  I?'  Hereupon  the  Doc- 
tor, in  order  to  quiet  her  anxiety,  gave  her  a  dose  of  elixir  of  opium, 
insufficient  to  have  any  marked  effect.  She  immediately  noticed  the 
pious  artifice,  and  said,  'Oh !  give  me  more :  give  me  laudanum,  not 
that.'  I  said  to  her,  'Darling  one,  when  your  Saviour's  anguish  was 
such  that  his  sweat  was  as  great  drops  of  blood,  still  he  said,  even 
while  he  prayed  that  the  cup  might  pass  from  him,  "Nevertheless, 
Father,  not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done."  Can't  you  say  that?'  'I  do 
say  that,'  she  said,  with  great  emphasis.  About  this  time.  I  think  it  was, 
she  said  to  me,  'I  don't  suffer  so  much  now.'  It  was  only  her  strength 
and  sensibility  that  was  declining,  not  her  sufferings.  I  had  noticed, 
for  more  than  half  an  hour,  the  steady  approaches  of  the  destroyer, 
although — both  hands  being  engaged,  one  in  sustaining  her  body  and 
the  other  her  head — I  could  not  feel  her  pulse.  But  the  sweat  which 
the  toil  of  respiration  brought  to  her  brow  had  become  cold,  her  lips 
were  purpling,  and  her  arms  began  now  to  indicate  a  slight  muscular 
spasm.     Dr.  Kean  felt  her  pulse  again,  and  whispered  to  me  that  there 


254        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

was  no  pulsation  at  the  wrist.  He  had  scarcely  made  this  communica- 
tion, when  another  slight  spasm  passed  through  the  muscles  of  her 
arms,  and  her  eyes  were  at  once  introverted  in  their  orbits.  I  said  to 
mamma,  'Well,  my  mother,  our  precious  one  is  at  rest  from  all  sorrow 
now,'  whereupon  she  threw  herself  forward,  embracing  the  lifeless  form 
in  my  arms,  with  uncontrollable  grief.  But,  although  still  drawing  a  few 
and  slight  inspirations,  the  beloved  sufferer  had  passed  beyond  the 
apprehension  of  the  wailings  which  broke  from  us  all.  'The  silver  cord 
was  loosened,  the  golden  bowl  was  broken,  the  pitcher  was  broken  at 
the  fountain.'  After  a  few  minutes  the  doctor  assured  me  that  life 
was  wholly  extinct.  I  then  tenderly  resigned  her  form,  which  lay  like 
the  graceful  willow,  wilted  and  bruised,  and  placed  her  beloved  head 
on  the  pillow,  that  her  eyes  might  be  decently  closed.  Of  how  much 
genius  and  grace  of  intellect,  of  how  much  wit,  of  how  much  taste,  of 
what  angelic  love  and  disinterestedness,  of  what  heavenly  devotion  and 
faith,  had  that  beautiful  form  been  the  temple!  Impressive  as  are  the 
ravages  of  the  despoiler,  Death,  and  powerful  as  is  the  temptation  which 
his  ruins  present  us  in  the  hour  of  our  desolation  to  feel  as  if  all  were 
lost  forever,  can  we  believe  that  all  these  glories  of  a  gifted  and  gracious 
soul  were  exhaled  and  dissipated  in  that  hour,  like  an  essence  or  a 
vapor?  Reason  and  faith  both  forbid  it.  I  believe  (and  yet  it  is  hard 
to  believe  under  the  benumbing  stroke  of  death)  that  angels  carried  it 
to  Abraham's  bosom.  I  believe  that,  instead  of  being  dissipated  or 
destroyed,  it  is  now  more  fully  developed,  and  has  entered  into  its  appro- 
priate activities  and  enjoyments.  Blessed,  lovely  spirit!  Henceforth 
my  best  and  clearest  conceptions  of  heaven  shall  be  of  a  society  formed 
of  such  loving  spirits  as  thou  wast  on  earth,  crowned  by  the  presence 
of  the  Saviour,  whose  loveliness  they  only  reflect.  Surely  this  ought 
to  be  to  me  the  best  argument  that  heaven  is  a  blessed  place,  that  my 
sister  always  shed  cheerful  joy  and  blessing  wherever  she  went.  Her 
coming  to  my  house  was  as  though  we  'entertained  an  angel.'  Peace 
and  light  and  love  seemed  to  enter  it  with  her,  brightening  every  face, 
from  that  of  the  mistress,  who  loved  her  as  her  own  sisters,  and  of  my 
boys,  down  to  the  dusky  countenances  of  the  servants.  Best  beloved 
sister,  you  will  not  return  to  me,  but  I  shall  go  to  you. 

"One  great  consolation  (and  yet  it  is  a  dreary  one)  under  that  intol- 
erable loss  is,  that  she  is  now  safely  housed  from  that  storm  of  war 
which  is  lowering  on  the  horizon  over  our  Commonwealth,  and  threaten- 
ing soon  to  burst  on  us.  It  was  a  harrowing  thought  to  me  that  her 
sickness  should  be  harrassed  by  the  inroads,  perhaps  the  visits,  of  a 
brutal  enemy,  and  her  place  of  refuge  broken  up  in  her  helpless  con- 
dition. Such  was  her  patriotism,  such  her  love  for  the  honor  of  Vir- 
ginia, such  her  sensitive  sympathy  with  the  sufferings  even  of  strangers, 
that  the  losses,  distresses,  banishments,  and  perhaps  deaths,  which  are 
now  impending  over  her  friends,  would  have  harrowed  her  loving  soul 
beyond  endurance.  But,  thank  God,  she  has  reached  the  haven  before 
the  tempest  burst,  where — 


In  the  War-Time.  255 

"  'The  storm  that  wrecks  the  wintry  sky 
No  more  disturbs  her  deep  repose 
Than  summer  evening's  latest  sigh, 
That  shuts  the  rose.' 

"As  for  our  dear  mother,  her  peace  and  submission  present  a  lovely 
specimen  of  the  triumph  of  grace.  After  a  few  bursts  of  sorrow  and 
tenderness  she  became  composed,  and  seemingly  even  cheerful.  'What 
hath  God  wrought?'  Almost  blind,  crippled,  seventy-eight  years  old, 
she  has  lost  not  only  her  beloved  and  constant  companion,  but  her  eyes,' 
her  hands,  her  feet.  Yet  there  is  not  a  word  of  murmuring.  I  well 
know  what  sustains  her ;  it  is  the  thought  of  the  shortness  of  the  separa- 
tion. But  that  is  not  consolation  to  us;  for  what  shall  we  do  without 
her,  in  this  wilderness  world?  What  without  her  love,  her  prayers 
and  her  counsels? 

"I  ascertained  that  my  sister  had  worked  all  the  year  1861  for  our 
soldiers,  and  that  her  last  task  was  to  spin  the  yarn  for  a  web  of  flannel 
for  them,  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  woven,  aid  in  making  it  up.  But, 
although  she  seemed  resolved  not  to  take  her  bed  till  she  finished  this 
work,  her  strength  gave  out  before  it  was  done.  It  was  finished  by 
my  mother.  One  of  her  last  acts,  also,  was  to  anticipate  a  half-year 
of  her  own  income  (of  which  she  had  a  small  one  independent  of 
others),  and  expend  the  whole  in  providing  for  the  soldiers."* 

*  Dr.  Dabney  was  accustomed  to  tell  the  following,  as  illustrative  of 
the  power  which  this  beloved  sister  exerted  over  those  who  came  in 
contact  with  her :    His  uncle,  Francis  Dabney,  after  following  his  pro- 
fession of  the  law  in  Louisiana,  had  returned  to  Louisa  county,  with 
a  small  property.    He  was  already  growing  old  at  the  time  of  his  return. 
He  was  a  man  of  some  parts,  but  satirical  in  disposition.    He  had  never 
been  married.     He  became  intensely  attached  to  his  niece,   Betty,   as 
did  every  one  who  came  under  her  influence.     Mr.  Robert  L.  Dabney, 
on  one  of  his  visits  to  his  mother,  learned  that  his  Uncle  Frank  had 
made  a  profession  of  Christianity.     As  his  uncle  had  previously  been 
somewhat  skeptical,  and  as  he  had  himself  on  a  former  visit  loaned  the 
old  gentleman  some  books  with  a  view  of  relieving  him  of  his  skep- 
ticism, he  was  inclined  to  take  some  credit  to  himself  for  the  change. 
In  a  conversation  with  the  uncle,  shortly  afterward,  he  felt  cautiously 
about  to  see  if  he  had  been  the  helpful  agent.     The  sharp  old  man 
soon  saw  the  drift,  and  told  him  plainly  that  Betty's  life  and  character 
had  been  the  means  by  which  the  change  of  views  and  heart  had  been 
brought  about.     He  said  he  knew  human  nature  and  its  fundamental 
corruption;  and  that  his  observation  of  her  character  had  shown  him 
one  so  ennobled  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  ascribe  its  graces 
to  human  causes,  that  he  had  been  compelled  to  refer  it  to  supernatural 
grace  as  its  cause ;  that  her  character  was  a  demonstration  of  the  facts 
and  working  of  divine  power  in  human  history. 


256        Life  and  Letters  of  Rorert  Lewis  DAP,XE^^ 

Soon  after  his  return  to  his  own  home,  out  of  a  desire  to 
comfort  his  venerable  mother,  upon  whom  this  great  affliction 
had  fallen  with  special  heaviness,  he  wrote : 

"March  22.  1862. 
"My  Dear  Mother  :  The  morning  I  left  you,  I  reached  the  depot 
at  Bumpass'  in  good  time  for  the  cars,  and  very  comfortably.  Thence 
I  went  to  Richmond  without  incident,  and  spent  the  night  at  Dr.  Hoge's, 
where  Rev.  Mr.  Brown  and  hidy  board.  I  there  heard,  with  great  sor- 
row, of  the  death  of  my  young  friend.  Rev.  Dabney  C.  Harrison,  who 
was  killed  on  the  Saturday  of  the  terrible  fight  at  Fort  Donelson.  He 
had,  as  you  know,  become  captain  of  a  company  raised  about  the  Old 
Church,  in  Hanover,  and  belonged  to  Col.  William  Stuart's  regiment, 
in  Floyd's  Brigade.  His  father,  Peyton  Harrison,  was  in  Richmond 
Avhen  the  news  of  his  death  came ;  and  an  hour  after  he  also  heard 
of  that  of  Miss  Nanny  Harrison,  who  died  of  pneumonia,  at  Brandon, 
below  Richmond.  He  had  not  before  even  heard  of  her  sickness. 
Surely,  he  is  greatly  afHicted  !  There  is  no  solace  to  a  benevolent  mind 
in  knowing  that  others  are  suffering  with  it.  But  there  is  much  con- 
solation in  the  fact  that  the  path  of  sorrow  and  bereavement  along 
which  we  travel  is  the  same  one  along  which  God's  people  have  travelled 
usually.  For  thus  we  have  an  answer  and  medicine  for  that  feeling 
which  is  too  apt  to  arise  under  great  sorrows,  that  surely  God  must 
be  our  enemy,  seeing  he  seems  to  have  such  a  peculiar  controversy  with 
us.  It  is  in  refutation  of  this  feeling  that  the  Apostle  Peter  says, 
'Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try 
you,  as  though  some  strange  thing  happened  unto  you.'  He  would 
remind  us  that  for  God's  own  children  to  suffer,  even  though  it  be 
severel}^  is  no  novel  thing.  'Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth. 
and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he  receiveth.'  This  road  of  bereavement 
is  the  one  along  which  all  the  Bible  saints  travelled,  Noah,  Abraham, 
Jacob,  David,  and.  above  all,  our  Saviour.  Yet  they  got  safely  home, 
and  so  may  we.  Mr.  Harrison's  is  a  peculiar  case  ;  he  has  now  lost 
his  two  noblest  sons  in  this  war.  At  the  same  time  comes  the  death 
of  his  most  amiable  daughter.  Nanny.  Yet.  I  understand,  he  bears  it 
in  the  most  Christian  manner.  I  have  been  much  humbled  and  com- 
forted, at  the  same  time,  to  remember  how  much  the  most  eminent 
saints  whom  I  have  known  and  loved  were  afflicted ;  both  my  grand- 
mother. Aunt  Betsy,  my  venerable  brethren,  (iilkeson  and  Van  Lear, 
in  Augusta,  etc.  When  I  look  on  with  envy  ui)on  their  calm  and 
heavenly  old  age.  and  their  peaceful  death-beds,  I  am  compelled  lo 
remember  that  they  were  thus  ripened  for  a  more  blessed  world,  chielly 
by  the  long  schooling  of  affliction  ;  and  I  feel  that  if  I  may  gain  such 
an  advantage  likewise,  at  such  a  cost,  it  does  not  become  me  to  repine. 
It  will  be  labor  well  spent.  T  reached  home  safely  to  dinner  Thursday, 
and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,   found  all  well,   better  than  when   I  left. 


Ix  THE  War-Tim !•:.  257 

Tommy,  whom  I  left  a  little  unwell,  was  the  first  to  meet  mc  at  the 
gate.  The  people  everywhere  seemed  very  much  sobered  and  grieved 
by  the  reverses  of  our  armies;  but.  after  the  first  shock,  resolved  and 
firm;  and  now  I  think  their  spirits  rise  with  every  day.  The  most 
judicious  men  I  see  think  that  it  will  do  great  good,  by  awakening  the 
people  to  their  danger  and  stimulating  energy.  My  chief  trust  is  in 
God;  I  know  that  a  great  deal  of  prayer  is  going  up,  and  my  hope  is 
in  his  mercy. 

"A  great  many  of  Betty's  friends  and  acquaintances  here  have  in- 
quired after  her,  and  with  great  feeling.  Among  these  I  may  mention 
Miss  Lydia  Martin,  and  good  old  Mrs.  Anderson.  Lavinia  said  that 
when  she  told  Miss  Lydia  she  was  gone,  she  wept  bitterly.  I  have  not 
yet  seen  Mrs.  Wharey  or  Mrs.  Rice,  my  whole  titne  having  been  occu- 
pied since  I  came  by  company  or  religious  meetings.  Old  Mrs.  Rice 
is  still  living,  and  by  no  means  well ;  but  as  I  have  not  yet  seen  her, 
I  do  not  know  very  well  what  her  real  condition  is.  Lavinia  seems  to 
have  felt  our  loss  very  keenly,  and  evidently  does  not  know  how  to 
make  any  distinction  between  it  and  that  of  an  own  sister.  I  never 
knew  anybody  in  my  life  that  inspired  such  universal  respect  and 
admiration  as  Betty,  wherever  she  was  really  known.  She  had  more 
sense  than  anybody  I  ever  saw;  more  refined  wit,  and  usually  a  better 
judgment.  I  feel  an  inexpressible  pride  that  it  was  my  privilege,  in 
part,  to  form  such  a  character,  crowned,  as  it  was,  by  that  which  is  far 
nobler  than  talents,  pure  aflfections  and  true  piety.  I  look  upon  her 
as  in  some  sense  my  handiwork.  But  she  was  far  more  yours.  You 
gave  her  birth  ;  you  taught  and  moulded  her  tenderer  years ;  you  formed 
her  heart  and  morals;  and  were  more  with  her  than  any  other  human 
bemg.  And  now  Christ  has  crowned  and  perfected  the  work  by  setting 
the  seal  of  heavenly  glory  upon  it !  How  inexpressible  is  the  honor  and 
blessedness  of  being  the  natural  and  spiritual  mother  of  an  angel.  What- 
ever other  losses  or  bereavements  you  may  meet,  this  treasure  is  now 
laid  up  safely  in  heaven,  and  cannot  be  taken  away. 

"Lavinia  sends  her  best  love,  and  begs  that  you  will  remember  you 
have  a  daug-hter  in  her.  When  you  come  to  see  us,  I  hope  you  will 
find  her  more  than  ever  so.  The  children  send  love.  Give  our  best 
love  to  Frank  and  Louisa,  and  to  sisters  Mary  and  Anne,  etc.  Tell 
Frank  I  was  so  tired,  and  the  night  so  rainy  in  Richmond,  that  I  could 
find  out  nothing  about  his  exemption.  He  should,  by  all  means,  apply 
at  the  earliest  day.  and  have  this  thing  settled. 

"As  ever,  affectionately  yours. 

"R.    L.    D.\BNEY." 

Dr.  Dabncy  was  far  from  satisfied  at  tiiis  time  with  the  wav- 
m  which  our  armies  were  managed.     He  was  particularly  dis- 
pleased with  the  want  of  care  in  the  management  of  camps,  with 
their  filth,  and  displeased,  too,  that  so  little  aggressiveness  was 
17 


.258        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

■shown,  either  in  the  way  of  preparation  or  attack.  On  the  6th 
■of  March,  1862,  he  writes  to  his  friend  Guthrie,  of  Tinkhng 
Spring : 

"I  have  been  for  many  months  excessively  uneasy  about  this  spring's 
v:ampaign,  seeing  that  the  enemy  were  laboriously  making  immense 
preparations,  and  that  our  people  were  by  no  means  awake  to  them. 
The  matter  of  Roanoke  Island  I  regard  as  of  no  great  importance;  but 
the  losses  in  Tennessee  are  most  serious,  and  much  to  be  lamented. 
I  hope  they  will  have  the  effect  of  rousing  the  people  of  the  Gulf  States 
to  do  more.  They  have  been  lying  too  much  on  their  oars,  trusting  to 
Virginia  to  do  for  them,  and  bear  the  main  brunt.  One  thing  is  certain, 
failure  will  be  worse  for  us  than  death.  ...  I  hear  some  reports 
that  the  government  is  going  to  give  up  a  large  part  of  our  State  to 
the  enemy ;  but  rumors  are  contradictory,  and  I  believe  nothing  till  we 
see.  The  people  must  take  the  war  into  their  own  hands,  and  do  as 
our  forefathers  did  in  the  Revolution,  just  turn  out  with  their  guns 
and  fight  the  enemy  wherever  they  venture  out  from  the  main  body, 
cut  off  their  wagons  with  their  supplies,  etc.,  till  they  are  worn  out  of 
the  country." 

His  friend,  Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge,  wrote  him,  on  the  27th  of 
March,  1862,  in  a  way  which,  however  pathetic  a  part  of  it  may 
appear  to  readers  of  after  years,  must  have  given  him  temporary 
comfort.    Dr.  Hoge  wrote : 

"Since  I  last  wrote  you,  our  public  affairs  look  more  encouraging. 
A  few  days  since,  I  had  a  very  interesting  conversation  with  Com- 
mander Minor,  of  the  navy.  He  is,  in  fact,  the  chief  of  that  depart- 
ment, the  executive  'head,  though  Mallory  is  the  Secretary.  He  says 
the  country  and  the  whole  world  will  be  soon  astonished  to  learn  what 
-we  have  accomplished  in  the  way  of  naval  preparations,  while  a  general 
impression  has  prevailed  that  nothing  has  been  doing.  He  thinks  the 
Tbuilding  of  the  Virginia  has  introduced  a  new  era  in  naval  history,  and 
:that  henceforth  the  splendid  wooden  three-deckers,  which  have  made 
:such  a  show  and  cost  so  much  money,  will  be  so  much  worthless  lumber. 
"Maury  has  written  a  letter,  stating,  as  his  opinion,  that  one  such  ship 
as  the  Virginia  could  go  up  the  Thames  and  lay  the  city  of  London 
under  contribution,  and,  if  it  chose,  burn  the  city,  without  the  possi- 
bility of  receiving  any  damage  in  so  doing.  Commander  Minor  says 
one  of  the  best  rifled  cannon  in  the  world  is  on  the  Virginia — an  eleven- 
inch  gun,  that  carries  a  ball  four  and  a  quarter  miles.  In  the  engagc- 
tnent  in  Hampton  Roads  a  singular  adventure  happened  to  that  gun. 
The  man  whose  business  it  was  to  put  in  the  charge  (twelve  pounds  of 
powder)  was  wounded  or  called  away  just  after  he  had  rammed  it 
down,  and  another  took  his  place,  and,   not  knowing  what  had  been 


In  the  War-Time.  259 

done,  thrust  down  its  throat  another  charge  of  twelve  pounds,  and  then 
put  in  the  ball.  It  was  a  line  shot,  raking  the  Congress  from  stem  to 
stern,  and  causing  the  most  frightful  smashing  and  slaughter,  and  yet 
the  gun  was  not  injured  in  the  least  by  the  double  charge.  The  French 
Consul  here  was  so  delighted  with  the  execution  that  he  asked  per- 
mission of  the  department  to  make  a  drawing  of  the  gun  to  send  to  his 
Emperor,  which  was  readily  granted,  and  now  the  whole  account,  with 
the  drawing  of  the  Thunderer,  is  on  its  way  to  France.  Speaking  of 
the  Consul  reminds  me  of  another  thing  Minor  told  me.  He  says  the 
reason  why  these  foreign  Consuls  have  been  allowed  to  remain  is  that 
they  are  intense  secessionists,  and  that  it  is  only  through  them  that 
newspapers  and  correct  accounts  of  our  affairs  can  be  transmitted  to 
Europe. 

"Commander  Minor  thinks  the  blockade  will  be  raised  at  New 
Orleans  in  a  few  days.  We  have  there  two  gun-boats  ready  for  launch- 
mg,  equal  in  size  to  the  Virginia,  and  fifteen  others,  of  smaller  dimen- 
sions, almost  ready.  About  two  hundred  tons  of  salt-petre  have  come 
m,  and  another  cargo  has  been  purchased,  and  is  on  the  way.  I  am 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  gentleman  who  went  abroad  to  make  the 
purchase,  and  if  any  man  can  manage  to  get  the  ship  in,  he  can.  This, 
with  the  large  arrival  of  arms  lately  received,  puts  us  on  a  better  footing 
than  we  have  hitherto  been.  Do  not  talk  about  it,  but  we  have  in  the 
United  States  Congress  and  House  of  Representatives  about  twelve 
friends— hearty  Secessionists,  who  are  working  for  us,  though  they 
sometimes  make  speeches  against  us.  One  of  them  has  recently  written 
to  a  gentleman  in  this  city  that  there  are  signs  of  a  reaction  against  the 
war  at  the  North,  notwithstanding  the  seeming  union  there,  and  the 
fury  with  which  the  crusade  against  us  is  conducted.  The  attempt  to 
collect  that  hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars  (the  tax-gatherers  com- 
mence their  rounds  the  15th  of  next  month)  will  be  to  the  North,  and 
especially  to  the  Northwest,  the  experimentum  Crucis. 

"I  have  all  along  differed  from  {hose  who  think  this  will  be  a  long 
war,  and  I  venture  the  prediction  that  it  will  be  over  by  the  ist  of 
January,  1863.  Make  a  memorandum  of  this,  and  see  if  I  do  not  prove 
the  son  of  a  prophet. 

"As  soon  as  we  drive  the  enemy  from  our  territory,  and,  in  fact,  as 
soon  as  we  break  his  lines  sufficiently  to  enable  us  to  make  the  attempt, 
I  want  our  armies  to  invade  the  United  States. 

"We  may  be  glad  to  consent  to  a  peace  without  that,  but  I  greatly 
hope  we  will  be  able  to  invade  some  portion  of  the  enemy's  country 
before  the  war  is  ended ;  partly  because  it  will  be  retributive  justice.  It 
will  be  right  that  he  should  taste  of  the  cup  which  he  has  pressed  to  our 
lips ;  but  I  am  the  more  anxious  for  it  because  of  its  moral  influence  in 
all  future  time.  It  will  forever  show  the  United  States  that  we  are  not 
to  be  wantonly  provoked;  that  we  can  inflict  blows  as  well  as  parry 
them.     I  want  the  war  so  to  end  that  the  Confederacy  shall  be  a  terror 


26o        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

to  the  United  States,  for  when  peace  is  declared,  unless  this  is  the  case, 
with  such  an  extended  border  as  ours,  and  with  so  many  conflicting 
interests  to  keep  adjusted,  there  will  be  perpetual  infractions  of  our 
rights  on  the  part  of  so  mean  and  perfidious  a  people. 

"And  so  I  am  in  favor  of  fighting  on,  year  after  year  ( in  case  the 
North  does  not  make  overtures  for  peace,  and  there  is  no  foreign  inter- 
vention by  the  ist  of  January),  until  the  North  is  scourged  and  scarred 
so  as  to  retain  the  marks  for  generations.  And  in  all  this  I  hope  there 
is  not  a  particle  of  revenge  or  wicked  hate. 

''My  memorial  to  the  Committee  on  Naval  Afifairs  has  been  most 
favorably  received.  Mr.  Miles  wrote  me  a  polite  note,  a  few  days  since, 
stating  that  the  committee  had  recommended  to  Congress  that  chaplains 
should  have  the  assimilated  rank  of  captains,  eighty-five  dollars  per 
month.  Several  of  the  first  men  in  Congress  have  promised  me  to  ad- 
vocate its  passage  when  it  comes  up  for  discussion.  I  wanted  to  get 
your  views  on  the  subject  before  the  Committee  on  Military  Afifairs 
reported  their  bill.  They  acted,  however,  sooner  than  I  expected,  though 
just  as  I  wished  them  to.  I  have  sent  to  Mr.  Miles  your  letter,  and  it 
will  have  the  effect,  I  doubt  not,  of  stimulating  the  committee  and 
friends  of  the  bill  to  active  efforts  to  secure  its  passage.  I  will  have  it 
read  during  the  debate. 

"There  is  one  other  thing  which  gratifies  me.  There  is  a  plan  pro- 
jected for  filling  the  portion  of  Virginia  lately  evacuated,  with  guerilla 
bands.  I  have  persistently  advocated  this  policy  since  last  April ;  and 
although  it  is  opposed  by  West  Point,  I  more  and  more  believe  that  it 
is  the  very  best  arm  of  service  which  can  be  employed  to  make  the  life 
of  invaders  a  torment  and  a  terror,  and  to  prevent  the  passage  of  his 
provision  and  other  trains  through  the  country. 

"My  work  in  camp  just  now  is  exceedingly  interesting,  owing  to  the 
large  number  of  men  there,  in  transitu,  to  be  sure,  but  fresh  regiments 
coming  to  take  the  places  of  those  going  south.  I  preach  three  times 
every  Sabbath,  once  in  the  open  air,  I  am  thankful  that  it  agrees  with 
my  health.  Very  truly  yours,  M.  D.  Hoge." 

Whatever  mistakes  he  might  have  made,  had  he  been  the 
government  himself,  his  mistakes  wotikl  not  have  ntimbered 
amongst  them  inaction  or  careless  sloth.  Had  Dr.  Dabney  been 
the  President  of  the  Confederacy,  as  one  bereaved  wife,  whose 
husband  had  fallen  in  the  war,  wished,  he  would  have  made 
Titanic  exertions  to  push  it  with  effective,  sweeping  vigor. 
This  cannot  be  doubted.  There  is  evidence  that  as  early  as  this 
he  approved  of  the  propriety  of  Dr.  Hoge's  plan  of  guerilla 
warfare,  wherever  opportunity  offered. 

He  felt  that  his  own  services  should  be  chiefly  in  behalf  of 
the  spiritual  interests  of  his  compatriots.     Circumstances,  how- 


In  the  War-Time.  261 

ever,  were  conspiring-  as  early  as  January,  1862,  when  he  was 
not  yet  out  of  the  clutches  of  his  first  spell  of  camp  fever,  to 
turn  him  into  a  combatant.  This  is  shown  by  the  following 
from  Gen.  Stonewall  Jackson  : 

My  address  is  'Akmv  Northern  Virginia;' 
"Second  Corps, 
''January  15,  1862. 
"Rev.  R.  L.  Dabncy,  D.  D. 

"Dear  Sir  :  I  saw  a  letter  to-day  from  you  offering  to  try  the  field 
again  as  chaplain  in  Cabell's  Artillery  Battalion.  Lieutenant  Smith 
resigned  his  position  as  aide,  and  I  am  somewhat  compromised  to  Mr. 
Rodes,  brother  of  the  General.  I  have  no  position  at  this  time  at  my 
disposal,  but  I  have  had  a  strong  desire  to  have  you  with  me  ever  since 
I  knew  you.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Lacy,  you  know,  is  at  my  headquarters,  but 
this  winter  has  gone  to  Orange  Courthouse,  where  he  is  devoting  him- 
self to  the  hospitals.     .     .    . 

"Congress  may  make  some  laws  changing  the  staff,  and  if  it  should, 
I  would  like  very  much  to  be  able  to  offer  you  anything  you  would 
accept. 

"It  would  hardly  interfere  with  religious  services  you  might  wish  to 
perform  on  Sundays  and  at  the  same  time,  by  j'our  counsel  and  expe- 
rience, it  would  aid  the  service  and  myself  materially.  I  would  have 
written  on  this  subject  before,  had  I  supposed  you  wished  to  try  the 
field  again.  I  can  do  nothing  more  than  lay  the  state  of  things  before 
you.     I  think  Mr.  Rodes  would  be  temporary. 

In  the  spring  of  1862,  Mrs.  Jackson,  the  wife  of  the  soon-to- 
be  world-famous  "Stonewall  Jackson,"  had  come  from  Win- 
chester to  sojourn  in  the  house  of  Dr.  Dabney,  at  Hampden- 
Sidney,  which  was  supposed  to  be  a  place  relatively  safe  from 
the  incursions  of  the  Yankees.  Naturally,  she  turned  the  mind 
of  her  husband  to  more  thought  of  his  friend  Dabney.  The 
General  wrote  again : 

"Near  Mount  Jackson,  March  29,  1862. 
"My  Dear  Doctor:  Mrs.  Jackson  writes  that  you  appear  desirous 
of  taking  the  field.  Should  you  do  so,  I  hope  that  you  will  come  to  this 
military  district.  If  you  come  as  a  chaplain,  I  will  take  special  pains 
to  see  that  'neither  you  nor  your  family  shall  have  cause  for  regret. 
But  if  you  desire  strictly  military  duty,  and  you  can  secure  a  commis- 
sion, I  will  give  you  a  corresponding  position.  If  you  cannot  get  such 
a  commission  as  you  desire,  and  would  be  willing  to  take  a  position 
on  my  staff  as  aide-de-camp,  I  will  try  and  secure  it  for  you,  with  the 
understanding  that  you  will  remain  with  me  until  the  war  terminates; 


262        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

unless  Mr. ,  one  of  my  aides,   who  was   taken  prisoner  at  the 

tattle  near  Winchester,  returns  and  gives  a  satisfactory  account  of  his 
being  absent  from  me  at  the  time  of  his  capture.  I  do  not  mean  by 
this  to  cast  any  reflection  upon  his  loyalty  to  the  South,  but  during  the 
engagement  I  had  cautioned  him  against  leaving,  or  being  absent  from 
me  longer  than  was  necessary  for  the  transmission  of  orders.  Whilst 
I  am  greatly  attached  to  him,  yet  examples  must  be  made  of  staff  officers 
as  well  as  others  when  they  disregard  orders. 

"Should  you  come  in  any  other  capacity  than  that  of  chaplain,  you 
will  generally,  except  on  Sabbath,  have  to  lay  aside  your  holy  calling, 
as  no  officer  can  attend  to  his  own  duties  and  those  of  chaplain. 

"Your  suggestion  respecting  partisan  warfare  would,  if  followed  out, 
be  productive  of  great  service ;  but  the  difficulty  consists  in  finding  suffi- 
cient patriotic  nerve  in  men  to  join  in  such  service. 

"Please  let  me  hear  from  you. 

"I  am  thankful  to  God  for  sending  so  many  of  his  children  into 
this  army,  and  my  prayer  is,  that  he  will  continue  to  send  them,  and 
that  he  will  bless  them  and  those  with  whom  they  cast  in  their  lot. 

"I  desire  granting  the  furloughs  you  requested. 

"Very  truly  your  friend, 
..     "Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney."  T.  J.  Jackson. 

Within  ten  days  after  writing  this  letter  the  post  of  Adjutant- 
General  became  vacant  on  his  staff.  Jackson  was  under  the 
necessity  of  casting  about  for  a  suitable  head  of  his  staff.  He 
was  a  great  incarnation  of  the  genius  of  war,  and,  like  other 
military  geniuses  of  the  first  order,  he  possessed  a  remarkable 
insight  into  the  character  of  men,  and  he  saw  in  this  minister 
of  the  gospel  and  professor  in  a  Theological  Seminary  the 
materials,  although  in  somewhat  unformed  condition,  for  a 
capital  chief  of  staff,  and  tendered  him  the  place  in  the  follow- 
ing words : 

"Near  Mount  Jackson,  April  8,  1862. 

"My  Dear  Doctor  :  The  extra  session  of  our  Legislature  will  pre- 
vent Mr.  J.  D.  Armstrong,  of  the  Virginia  Senate,  from  joining  rne 
as  my  Adjutant-General.  If  the  position  would  be  acceptable  to  you. 
please  take  the  accompanying  recommendation  to  Richmond,  get  the 
appointment,  and  join  me  at  once;  provided  you  can  make  your  arrange- 
ments to  remain  with  me  for  the  remainder  of  the  war.  Your  rank  will 
be  that  of  major.    Your  duties  will  require  early  rising  and  industry. 

"Please  let  me  hear  from  you  at  once. 

"Very  truly  your  friend, 
"Rev.  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney.  T.  J.  Jacksok. 

"Your  duties  would  be  such  that  you  would  not  have  an  opportunity 
of  preaching,  except  on  the  Sabbath." 


In  the  War-Time.  263 

Meanwhile,  on  the  26th  of  March,  Gen.  D.  H.  Hill  had  writ- 
ten Dr.  Dabney : 

"It  seems  to  me  that  you  could  do  more  good  as  a  chaplain  than 
in  any  other  capacity.  I  am  now  in  command  of  a  division,  and  would 
be  exceedingly  gratified  to  have  you  attached  to  my  command.  Such 
a  thing  as  a  division  chaplain  is  not  recognized ;  but  if  you  had  the 
appointment  of  a  chaplain  without  designating  the  regiment,  you  would 
find  plenty  of  work  to  do  in  the  division.  Our  regimental  chaplains, 
as  a  general  thing,  are  as  trifling  as  the  regimental  surgeons,  which 
is  the  strongest  denunciation  I  can  use." 

Mrs.  Jackson  urged  Dr.  Dabney  to  accept  the  position  offered 
by  her  husband.  Men  and  women  believed  him  possessed  of  a 
many-sided  capacity.  He  remembered  his  high  calling,  and 
was  indisposed  to  the  thought  of  combining  the  duties  of  chap- 
lain and  staff  officer.  He  consulted  his  friend.  Dr.  J.  M.  P. 
Atkinson,  President  of  Hampden  Sidney-College.  Dr.  Atkin- 
son advised  him  not  to  reject  the  offer  summarily.  So  he 
visited  General  Jackson,  at  Swift  Run  Gap,  about  the  middle 
of  April,  1862.  He  went  without  horse,  uniform  or  arms.  His 
chief  "purpose  was  to  show  to  General  Jackson  how  unfit"  he 
was  for  the  post  offered,  "and  to  get  a  chaplaincy  again" ;  but 
Jackson  was  master;  he  overruled  all  objections,  allowed  the 
would-be  chaplain  two  days  to  Halleck's  Articles  of  War — "a. 
thin  octavo  volume" — and  put  him  into  office. 

Having  accepted  the  post,  and  thrown  himself  into  the  dis- 
charge of  its  duties,  he  gave  this  explanation  of  his  course  to 
his  mother,  viz. : 

"You  will  be  surprised  to  hear  from  me  at  this  place,  as  I  am 
surprised  at  being  here  myself.  General  Jackson  (Stonewall)  sent  me  a 
proposal  to  join  him  last  week,  as  Adjutant-General  of  his  army,  with 
liberty  of  preaching  on  Sundays;  and,  somewhat  to  my  surprise,  all 
my  most  judicious  friends  advised  me  to  accept  the  place.  They  said 
(including  several  of  the  directors  of  the  Seminary  and  all  the  elders  of 
the  church)  that  they  knew  the  Seminary  would  be  closed  temporarily, 
and  that  I  would  neither  be  able  nor  willing  to  lie  about  home  doing 
next  to  nothing,  with  the  country  in  this  terrible  state,  and  so  many 
in  our  camps  without  preaching ;  and  that,  such  being  the  case,  I  had 
better  go  at  once  where  I  had  so  eligible  an  offer.  Jackson  needed  an 
adjutant  at  once,  and  made  it  a  condition  that  I  should  come  at  once  or 
not  at  all.  Next  to  leaving  my  beloved  familj',  my  greatest  grief  in 
doing  so  was  that  I  could  not  be  at  home  to  watch  over  your  comfort 
in  these  troublous  times.     But  from  what  brother  William  wrote  me. 


264        Life  and  Letters  of  Rouekt  Lewis  Dabxev. 

he  will  be  at  home  in  a  few  days.    And,  I  thought,  my  best  way  to  show 
love  for  yovi  was  to  get  between  you  and  our  enemies."  '" 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1862,  after  Jackson  had  made  his  memo- 
rable circuit  over  the  Blue  Ridge  by  Brown's  Gap,  and  thence 
to  Statmton.  and  a  junction  with  the  forces  of  Gen.  Edward 
Johnson,  Dr.  Dabney  again  writes  to  his  mother,  with  the  pur- 
pose of  assuring  her  as  to  his  comfort : 

"The  adjutant  is  pretty  much  the  General's  secretary;  and  as  he 
must  be  near  the  General's  person,  he  necessarily  shares  his  comforts. 
I  always  eat  at  the  same  table,  and  most  frequently  sleep  in  the  same 
room.  On  one  occasion  I  was  in  a  good  feather  bed,  and  he  on  his 
military  pallet.  In  general,  I  may  say  that  he  treats  me  with  the  greatest 
kindness  and  consideration ;  and  while  he  is  exact  and  exacting  in  an 
official  point  of  view  to  all  under  him,  personally  he  is  almost  embar- 
rassingly kind.  The  bargain  is  that  I  shall  do  his  army  work  in  the 
week,  and  be  at  liberty  to  preach  to  the  soldiers  on  Sundays.  I  have 
now  been  in  camp  two  Sundays.  The  first  I  preached  twice  to  noble 
congregations.  The  second,  the  whole  army  was  marching,  and  neither 
I  nor  any  chaplain  could  preach  at  all." 

When  Dr.  Dabney  became  head  of  Jackson's  staff,  "he  had 
sense  enough,"  he  tells  us,  "to  know  how  little  he  knew."  and 
to  confess  his  ignorance  frankly  to  the  more  experienced  officers 
of  the  corps  "whom  he  had  to  direct."  While  the  staff  had  been 
headless  by  the  mortal  wounding  of  its  head.  Major  Jackson, 
its  duties  had  been  performed  by  the  young  a  ;'(/r.>-,  some  of  whom 
seem  to  have  been  very  conceited,  self-sufficient  fellows.  When 
Dr.  Dabney  had  served  a  week.  Colonel  Grigsby.  of  the  Stone- 
wall Brigade,  a  somewhat  profane  and  eccentric  gentleman,  had 
Inisiness  at  headquarters.  L^pon  his  return  to  his  own  quarters, 
his  officers  caine  around  him  to  ask  the  news.  Amongst  other 
questions  came,  "What  about  the  new  Adjutant?"  The  Colonel 
replied,  "I  concluded  that  old  Jack  must  be  a  fatalist  sure 
enough,  when  he  put  in  an  Ironside  Presbyterian  parson  as  his 
chief  of  staff,  but  I  have  bright  hopes  of  headquarters,  seeing 
they  are  no  longer  omniscient."  After  some  weeks'  further 
service,  he  paid  the  Parson-Adjutant-General  a  higher  compli- 
ment, viz.,  "Our  parson  is  not  afraid  of  Yankee  bullets,  and  l 
tell  you  he  preaches  like  hell."  ^ 

"  Letter  dated  April  24.  1862,  Headquarters  Army  of  the  Valley. 
"  This   heterodox    remark  gives   occasion   to   say   that   Dr.    Dabney, 
during  this  summer  with  Jackson,  continued  his  work  as  a   Christian 


In  the  War-Time.  265 

Having  joined  General  Jackson  at  his  post,  in  the  western 
mouth  of  Swift  Run  Gap,  and  taken  charge  of  the  staff,  Dr. 
Dabney  accompanied  him  through  the  marches  and  battles  of 
his  splendid  Valley  Campaign  of  April,  May  and  June,  1862, 
to  McDowel,  Franklin,  in  Pendleton  county,  Front  Royal,  Win- 
chester ;  back  on  the  retreat  to  Harrisonburg  and  Port  Re- 
public. 

The  following  letter  gives  some  account  of  the  battles  about 
Port  Republic : 

"Near  Mt.  Meridian,  Augusta,  June  12,  1862. 
"My  Dearest  Wife:  The  only  thing  I  did  last  Monday  night,  after 
the  excessive  fatigues  of  a  day  of  battle,  was  to  write  you  a  short  note 
by  express,  telling  you  of  my  safety.  I  hope  you  got  this.  Meantime, 
you  have  seen  the  bungling  reports  which  reached  Richmond  by  tele- 
graph. I  suppose  that  nothing  will  interest  you  so  much  as  some  detail 
of  General  Jackson's  movements.  The  Wednesday  after  the  victory  at 
Winchester,  I  was  taken  with  disordered  bowels,  the  consequence  of 
the  water  and  fatigue,  and  was  on  the  sick  list  at  Rev.  Mr.  Graham's. 
While  General  Jackson  was  gone  (very  imprudently,  as  I  think),  fight- 
ing the  Yankees  at  Harper's  Ferry,  he  got  news  that  Shields  was 
advancing  on  the  Valley  from  the  East,  and  Fremont  from  the  West,  to 
get  behind  and  destroy  him  with  superior  forces.  I  was  then  lying  by 
in  Winchester,  and  was  sent  up  to  Woodstock,  and  then  to  Rufifner's, 
near  Harrisonburg  in  an  ambulance.  At  Rufifner's  I  had  a  delightful 
rest  of  a  few  days,  and  was  very  kindly  treated.  Meantime,  Jackson 
was  very  busy  retreating,  and  bringing  away  his  stores  and  prisoners 
captured.  He  had  a  hard  tug  to  get  off  with  them,  but  did  it  pretty 
safely.  Meantime,  Shields  came  up  through  the  Page  County  Valley. 
and  Fremont  through  the  main  road,  Jackson  retreating  before  them 
till  he  got  to  Port  Republic.  There  he  was  attacked  on  Sunday  by  both 
of  them.  Shields'  force,  coming  up  the  river  on  the  pines  side,  and 
actually  crossing  into  Port  Republic  across  the  mouth  of  South  River, 
and  Fremont  attacking  the  main  army  about  four  miles  this  side  of 
Harrisonburg.  If  that  army  was  defeated,  the  only  exit  was  through 
the  long  narrow  bridge  into  Port  Republic.  At  one  time,  the  enemy's 
cavalry  and  artillery  had  actually  gotten  possession  of  this  bridge :  so 
you  see,  our  situation  was  squally ;  but  they  were  very  soon  driven  out 
of  Port  Republic,  and  then  easily  kept  out  by  artillery,  and  a  gallant 
charge  of  Col.  Fulkerson's  Regiment.  Meantime,  the  main  battle  be- 
tween Fremont  and  General  Ewell  opened  fiercely  about  four  miles  off, 
on  the  Harrisonburg  road,  and  General  Jackson  sent  up  a  good  deal  of 

minister  as  opportunity  offered.  He  preached  often,  and  great  sermons, 
if  men  of  Jackson's  command  can  be  trusted  ;  and  he  was  indefatigable 
in  looking  after  the  sick,  particularly  the  Scotch-Irish  boys  of  the  Valleyi 


266        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

his  force  to  help.  The  battle  raged  till  about  four  o'clock,  when  Ewell 
whipped  the  Yankees  with  great  slaughter,  he,  fortunately,  losing  but 
few  in  comparison.  That  night  all  slept  on  their  arms.  Monday  morn- 
ing early,  General  Jackson  moved  his  own  force,  and  a  large  part  of 
Ewell's  (leaving  two  brigades  to  watch  Fremont  across  both  rivers)  and 
attacked  Shields  furiously  down  at  old  General  Lewis'  (next  the  pines). 
The  brigades  left  to  watch  Fremont  cautiously  retired,  and  as  soon  as 
they  got  across,  they  burned  the  long  bridge,  leaving  Fremont  com- 
pletely baulked,  and  came  down  to  help  us  to  pursue  Shields,  who  had 
by  this  time  been  beaten.  The  troops  of  Shields  were  better  than  those 
of  Fremont,  and  the  fighting  fiercer  than  the  day  before.  Consequently, 
our  loss  was  heavier,  some  four  hundred  killed  and  wounded.  From 
Shields  we  took,  the  two  days,  eight  cannon,  and  lost  one  to  them.  The 
prisoners  we  took  are  about  five  hundred,  including  several  officers.  We 
pursued  Shields  some  ten  miles,  killing  and  capturing  and  driving  them ; 
but  the  men  were  too  much  exhausted  to  pursue  very  effectively.  In- 
deed, Jackson's  great  fault  is  that  he  marches  and  works  his  men  with 
such  disregard  of  their  physical  endurance.  His  victories  are  as  fatal 
to  his  own  armies  as  to  his  enemies.  The  former  he  kills,  the  latter  he 
works  nearly  to  death.  With  all  the  rigidity  of  his  character,  I  think 
him  a  poor  disciplinarian.  He  is  in  too  much  of  a  hurry  to  attend  to 
the  physical  needs  of  his  soldiers.' 

But  this  letter  says  nothing  of  a  part  which  Dr.  Dabney  had 
in  saving  Jackson's  ammunition  trains  at  this  time.  He,  in  fact, 
seems  to  have  saved  them.  The  Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.  Strickler  is 
authority  for  the  story  that  Dr.  Dabney  j.okingly  informed 
General  Jackson,  the  evening  following,  that  he  had  fought  a 
regular  batde,  and  had  employed  all  parts  of  the  service — 
infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery.  He  then  recounted  the  exploit 
which  is  related  on  pages  411  and  412  of  his  Life  of  General 
Stonezvall  Jackson,  but  with  the  suppression  of  his  own  name. 
The  reader  of  that  work  will  recall  that,  on  the  7th  of  June, 
Jackson  had  posted  General  Ewell  m  a  very  advantageous  posi- 
tion, about  five  miles  back  on  the  road  leading  to  Harrisonburg, 

'  Dr.  Dabney,  soon  after,  withdrew  the  criticism  which  he  here  pro- 
nounces. At  this  time,  with  his  intense  conscientiousness  and  love  of 
law  and  order,  he  did  not  realize  that  breakdown  inevitably  accom- 
panies all  continued  military  operations.  He  did  not  understand  how 
cruel  was  the  situation  in  which  Jackson  was,  and  how  he  was  forced, 
by  strategical  and  political  considerations,  to  drive  so  hard  the  undrilled, 
and  as  yet  poorly  officered,  country  boys,  who  had  been  gathered  to 
constitute  his  army.  All  this  he  came  to  understand  thoroughly  a  tew 
months  later,  as  the  reader  of  his  great  biography  of  Jackson  knows. 


In  the  War-Time.  267 

that  he  had  posted  the  other  division  of  his  army  on  the  heights, 
on  the  northwest  bank  of  the  Shenandoah.  With  the  one 
division  he  would  hold  Fremont  in  check,  with  the  other  he 
would,  by  means  of  the  artillery,  keep  Shields'  men  out  of  Port 
Republic  until  Monday,  when  he  proposed  to  whip  Shields,  and 
then  pay  his  respects  to  Fremont.  He  had,  with  his  staff, 
crossed  the  long  bridge  over  the  Shenandoah  into  Port  Re- 
public. He  had  also  brought  all  his  trains  across  the  bridge, 
whence  they  might  be  withdrawn  either  to  the  mountain  or  to 
Staunton.  Two  companies  of  cavalry  were  detached  to  watch 
the  approach  of  General  Shields,  of  which  one  was  sent  to 
reconnoitre,  and  the  other  was  stationed  as  a  picket  guard  upon 
the  road  to  Lewiston. 
Says  Dr.  Dabney: 

"The  morning  of  June  8th,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  dawned  with  all 
the  graceful  brightness  appropriate  to  the  Christian's  sacred  rest,  and 
General  Jackson,  who  never  infringed  its  sanctity  by  his  own  choice, 
was  preparing  himself  and  his  wearied  men  to  spend  it  in  devotion ; 
but  soon  after  the  sun  surmounted  the  eastern  mountain,  the  pickets 
next  the  army  of  Shields,  came  rushing  to  the  headquarters  in  the 
village  in  confusion,  with  the  Federal  cavalry  and  a  section  of  artillery 
close  upon  their  heels.  So  feeble  was  the  resistance  they  ofifered,  the 
advance  of  the  enemy  dashed  across  the  ford  of  the  South  River 
almost  as  soon  as  they,  and  occupied  the  streets.  The  General  had 
barely  time  to  mount  and  gallop  towards  the  bridge,  with  a  part  of  his 
staff,  when  the  way  was  closed;  two  others  of  his  suit,  attempting  to 
follow  him  a  few  minutes  after,  were  captured  in  the  street,  and  one  or 
two,  perceiving  the  hopelessness  of  the  attempt,  remained  with  the 
handful  of  troops  thus  cut  off.  But  out  of  this  accident,  to  them  so 
involuntary,  Providence  ordained  that  a  result  should  follow  essential 
to  the  safety  of  the  army.  As  the  captured  Confederate  officers  stood 
beside  the  commander  of  the  Federal  advance,  some  of  his  troopers 
returned  to  him,  and  pointed  out  the  long  train  of  wagons  hurrying 
away,  apparently  without  armed  escort,  and  the  hearts  of  the  Con- 
federates sank  within  them,  for  they  knew  that  this  was  Jackson's  ordi- 
nance train,  containing  the  reserve  ammunition  of  the  whole  army,  and 
that  all  its  other  baggage  was  equally  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy;  but 
as  the  eager  Federals  reached  the  head  of  the  village,  they  were  met  by 
a  volley  of  musketry,  which  sent  them  scampering  back,  and  when  they 
returned  to  the  charge,  two  pieces  of  artillery  opened  upon  them,  to 
the  equal  surprise  and  delight  of  their  anxious  captives,  and  speedily 
cleared  the  streets  with  showers  of  canister.  The  explanation  was  that 
one  of  the  officers  separated  from  the  General's  suite,  seeing  the  im- 
possibility of  joining  him,  had  addressed  himself  to  rallying  a  handful 


268        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dx\bney. 

of  picket  guards,  and  with  these,  and  a  section  of  new  artillerists  from 
the  reserves,  had  boldly  attacked  the  enemy.  Thus  the  trains  were 
saved,  and  a  diversion  made  until  the  General  could  bring  forward  more 
substantial  succors."  ' 

*  See  Dabney's  Life  of  General  Stotiewall  Jackson,  pp.  411,  412.  In 
Parnell's  Unpublished  History  of  the  Civil  War  is  a  fuller  account  of 
this  service  on  the  part  of  Major  Dabney.     Parnell  says: 

"In  consequence  of  the  bad  conduct  of  Jackson's  cavalry,  the  Federal 
irruption  into  Port  Republic  was  a  complete  surprise.  Jackson,  with  a 
part  of  his  staflf,  by  galloping  at  full  speed,  just  did  have  time  to  escape 
over  the  bridge  and  join  his  army  on  the  other  side  before  the  enemy's 
cavalry  entered  the  place.  Two  of  his  staff,  trying  to  follow  him,  were 
captured;  a  third  (Major  Dabney),  seeing  the  way  of  escape  closed, 
retreated  in  the  opposite  direction.  On  the  way  he  overtook  Captain 
Moore,  with  about  fifteen  riflemen,  who  had  been  posted  as  a  picket 
guard  at  the  confluence  of  the  South  River  with  the  Shenandoah  (its 
south  fork),  and  were  retreating  in  good  order.  Major  Dabney  placed 
Captain  Moore  and  his  men  in  a  field  behind  a  board  fence,  just  above 
the  corner  where  the  Staunton  Turnpike  turns  at  right  angles  towards 
the  South,  so  as  to  command  the  turnpike  before  it  reached  that  corner. 
He  directed  them  to  lie  down  flat  and  fire  through  the  lowest  crack  of 
the  fence  at  the  enemy  if  he  should  appear  on  their  front.  This  road 
makes  two  turns  at  right  angles  ;  the  first  westward,  at  the  southern 
end  of  the  main  street  of  the  village,  and  the  next  southward,  in  front 
of  Moore's  riflemen.  Between  these  two  corners  there  was  an  interval 
of  about  two  hundred  yards,  in  which  the  turnpike  was  perfectly 
straight,  affording  excellent  range  for  a  close  rifle  fire.  Major  Dabney 
then  overtook  and  halted  Carrington's  battery,  which,  being  newly  raised 
and  organized,  and  consequently  ill-equipped  and  badly  trained,  was 
retreating  southward  along  the  turnpike  in  a  gallop.  Finding  that 
Carrington  had  canister  cartridges  for  two  guns,  and  sufficient  cannon 
primers,  but  no  lanyards,  Dabney  ran  two  pieces  back  across  a  meadow 
in  the  rear  of  the  interval  between  the  two  corners  above  mentioned, 
until  he  reached  a  position  near  the  first  corner  at  the  southern  end  of 
the  main  street  of  the  village.  Here  he  posted  the  two  guns  so  as  to 
rake  the  street  at  close  quarters,  using  whip  lashes  for  lanyards. 

"But  before  Major  Dabney  had  reached  this  position,  the  Federal 
cavalry,  in  full  chase  after  Jackson's  trains,  had  turned  this  corner,  and 
come  within  range  of  Moore's  riflemen,  at  the  next  corner;  but  Moore 
had,,  with  one  volley,  driven  them  back  into  the  town.  About  the  time 
Dabney  got  the  guns  in  position,  twenty-five  horsemen  came  up,  the 
remnant  of  the  Confederate  cavalry  that  had  been  sent  over  South 
River.  These  had  been  on  picket  duty,  but  not  on  the  direct  road  to 
Lewiston,  and  had,  therefore,  not  been  met  and  stampeded  by  Carroll. 
At  Dabney's  command,  they  halted,  and  dismounting,  took  a  position  in 
support  of  the  guns.     Soon  afterwards,  the  head  of  the  Federal  column 


In  the  War-T]>[i:.  269 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  Dabney  was  the  officer  of  whom  he 
writes  as  doing  this  service,  without  naming  him.' 

From  Port  Repiibhc  he  accompanied  General  Jackson,  whose 
Valley  campaign,  just  closed,  had  made  him  immortal,  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Richmond,  to  assist  General  Lee.  Of  all  these 
movements  in  which  he  aided  his  great  leader,  he  has  given  an 
able,  remarkably  accurate  and  vivid  account  in  his  biography 
of  that  leader.  At  Gaines'  Mill  he  again  did  an  essential  ser- 
vice, and  this  time  without  getting  any  credit  for  it,  till  Hender- 
son wrote  his  great  ''Stoncivall  Jackson."  "  In  that  battle,  Jack- 
son had,  against  Major  Dabney's  earnest  protest,  entrusted  the 
orders  for  putting  to  action  his  whole  reserves  to  a  member  of 
his  staff,  whom  Dabney  regarded  as  incompetent  to  its  execu- 
tion. This  man  so  botched  the  instructions  as  to  keep  all  the 
reserves  out  of  action,  instead  of  putting  them  in.  Major  Dab- 
ney went  after  them,  on  his  own  motion,  corrected  his  mistaTce, 
and  sent  in  six  of  the  best  brigades ;  he  got  them  in  late  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  day  seemed  almost  lost  to  his  generals, 
saved  the  day,  and  turned  it  into  a  splendid  victory.  He  did 
not  wish  to  report  his  fellow  for  incompetency,  made  no  report, 
and  consequently  Jackson  wrote  his  official  report  of  that  battle 
without  ever  knowing  just  how  he  won  it.'^ 


emerged  from  the  dust  on  the  street  in  front.  Carrington's  guns  at 
once  opened  on  them  a  brisk  fire,  to  which  the  enemy,  with  the  gun 
posted  at  the  corner  where  the  Lewiston  road  enters  the  street,  replied 
with  spirit,  but  their  firing  was  not  accurate,  except  the  first  shot,  which 
was  a  shell  remarkably  well  aimed;  but  the  Confederates,  perceiving 
from  its  bu.z::  that  it  meant  mischief,  'squatted  in  the  grass  like  par- 
tridges," and  the  shell,  bursting  four  yards  in  front  of  them  (consid- 
ered the  most  dangerous  distance  for  an  explosion),  its  fragments 
ricocheted  harmlessly  over  their  heads.  The  enemy  then  made  two  suc- 
cessive cavalry  charges,  but  they  were  repulsed  each  time  with  loss. 
The  contest  was  now  carried  on  with  artillery  alone  until  Jackson 
retook  the  bridge,  and  cleared  the  town  of  the  enemy.  This  diversion, 
in  which  Jackson  did  not  lose  a  man,  saved  Jackson's  trains,  and  gave 
him  time  to  form  his  troops  and  recapture  the  place." 

For  Dr.  Dabney's  letter,  describing  this  action,  to  D.  H.  Pannill, 
Esq.,  see  Appendix. 

'  In  the  Baltimore  Southern  Magazine  of  William  Hand  Brown.  1871, 
Dr.  Dabney  records  this  service  under  the  title,  "What  I  Saw  of  the 
Battle  of  Chickahominy,"  an  anonymous  article. 

'"There  is  a  reference,  in  his  Life  of  General  Stonezvall  Jackson, 
page  418.  to  this  service,  in  the  following  sentence:  "But  another  officer 


270        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

This  military  life  must  have  been  a  very  trying-  one  to  Dr. 
Dabney  from  the  start.  It  is  known  to  the  reader  that,  industri- 
ous and  hugely  energetic  as  Dr.  Dabney  had  always  been,  he 
had  also  always  inclined  to  late  rising  in  the  morning;  but 
when  he  entered  the  military  family  of  Jackson,  he  entered  a 
new  sphere.  His  master  moved  early,  and  when  he  rose  from 
the  table  his  servant  cleared  it  ofif.  Nor  was  any  late  comer 
served  even  with  coffee  and  bread.  Funny  stories  are  told  of 
Major  Dabney's  effort  to  secure  something  after  a  nap  slightly 
too  long  on  one  morning.  His  efforts  were  in  vain,  tradition 
says,  and  he  acquired  the  habits  of  an  early  riser  while  in  that 
family.  Dr.  Hunter  McGuire,  Jackson's  Chief  Surgeon,  is 
authority  for  another  story  of  an  incident  in  the  initiation  of 
Major  Dabney.  He  used  to  tell  that,  during  the  first  days  of 
Dabney's  service  as  Chief-of-Staff,  the  Doctor  wore  the  black 
Prince  Albert  coat  to  which  he  had  been  accustomed,  a  beaver 
hat,  and  the  usual  dress  of  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  and  that 
he  also  carried  an  umbrella  of  a  dull  brown  or  bluish  color ; 
that  one  day,  when  Jackson  was  on  the  march,  his  men  began 
to  guy  his  Chief-of-Staff,  crying,  "Come  out  from  under  that 
umbrella !"  "Come  out !  I  know  you  are  under  there ;  I  see 
your  feet  a-shaking!"  "  'Fraid  you  are  going  to  get  your  bee- 
gum  spoiled  ?"  "  'Fraid  you  will  get  wet  ?"  ;  that  Jackson  was 
riding  along  with  his  head  down,  and  for  a  time  paid  no  heed ; 
but  that,  after  a  while  his  attention  was  attracted ;  that  he 
looked  around,  and  asked  him  what  the  men  meant ;  and  that 
he  replied  that  they  were  guying  Major  Dabney  about  his  um- 
brella and  his  dress ;  that  Jackson  looked  annoyed  for  an  in- 
stant, and  then,  giving  word,  "Gentlemen,  let  us  ride !"  dashed 
off  through  an  adjacent  wood  as  hard  as  his  horse  could  go  for 
half  a  mile,  his  staff  following  him,  of  course;  that  he  then 
headed  for  the  road  and  his  column  without  a  word ;  but  that 
meanwhile  Major  Dabney's  umbrella  had  been  reduced  to 
tatters  by  the  boughs  and  branches  of  the  trees,  and  his  beaver 
hat  knocked  into  a  most  unbecoming  and  hopeless  shape ;  that 
a  member  of  the  staff  at  once  loaned  him  a  cap,  and  that  in  a 
day  or  two  he  appeared  in  a  rather  ill-fitting  unifomi. 

But  Dr.  Dabney  not  only  suffered  inconveniences  in  his  new 

of  the  staff,  comprehending  better  the  General's  true  intentions,  and  the 
urgency  of  the  occasion,  corrected  the  error,  and  at  length  moved  the 
remaining  brigades  into  action."  There  is  a  reference  to  it,  in  Hender- 
son's Stonezvall  Jackson,  Vol.  II.,  p.  42,  in  a  single  sentence  also. 


In  the  War-Time.  271 

life;  he  saw,  after  a  few  months,  that  physically  he  was  wholly 
unfit  for  such  campaigning  as  Jackson's.  Jackson  postponed 
his  own  comfort,  and  required  his  men  of  all  ranks  to  postpone 
theirs,  with  what  to  Major  Dabney  seemed  an  "absolute,  not 
to  say  needless,  rigidity."  Dr.  Dabney  believed  that  the  sacri- 
fice of  comfort  and  health  was,  in  part,  needless,  and  he  gives 
tliis  instance: 

"Jackson  launched  himself  and  us  into  the  weeks  of  campaign  around 
Richmond,  stripped  not  only  of  every  comfort,  but  of  the  very  means 
of  existence,  ordering  everything  to  the  rear,  his  own  and  our  baggage- 
wagon,  tents,  pallets,  blankets,  cooking  utensils,  food,  and  so  forth,  leav- 
ing us  for  one  week  without  any  change  of  raiment  or  food  even; 
except  as  we  might  take  our  chances  to  pick  up,  beg  or  steal  something. 
Let  me  give  one  instance :  my  sole  chance  for  supper  Sunday  evening 
after  the  great  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  after  a  dinnerless  day  of  hard 
work,  was  this :  a  comrade  whispered  to  me,  'Come  and  bivouac  in  the 
next  corn-row  to  mine,  because  I  have  something  nice  for  supper, 
enough  for  you  and  me,  but  not  enough  for  three.'  The  treat  proved 
to  be  some  raw  whiskey  in  a  bottle,  and  about  a  pint  of  sliced  beef 
tongue.  The  tongue  was  absolutely  raw !  I  could  not  drink  the  coarse 
raw  whiskey.  Jackson  had  left  me  orders  to  march  the  corps,  at  break 
of  day,  in  pursuit  of  McClellan.  I  came  with  it  to  Savage  Station,  about 
an  hour  and  a  half  by  sun  next  morning,  breakfastless.  It  had  rained 
on  me  in  the  corn- row  during  the  night.  While  drying  myself  by  a 
camp-fire,  I  saw  in  the  leaves  a  big  fat  Irish  potato.  This  I  put  into 
the  fire  immediately,  my  sole  chance  for  a  breakfast.  Before  it  was 
half  roasted  Jackson  called  to  me,  'Major,  we  will  ride.'  Midday 
brought  the  beginning  of  the  battle  of  White  Oak  Swamp.  My  show 
for  a  dinner  there  was  the  following :  about  one  and  a  half  Yankee 
crackers,  which  I  found  lying  in  the  grass.  These  I  helped  out  by  sop- 
ping the  pieces  in  some  streaks  of  molasses  which  had  been  spilled  in 
a  good's  box,  while  under  artillery  fire,  watching  and  directing  one  of 
Jackson's  batteries." 

Still  half  sick  when  he  joined  Jackson,  he  naturally  broke 
down  under  such  severe  conditions  of  life. 

General  Jackson  was  as  kind  as  he  was  exacting.  He  saw 
soon  after  the  hard  day  just  referred  to,  that  Major  Dabney 
was  a  sick  man,  and  insisted  on  his  taking  a  sick  leave  from 
Harrison's  landing.  Dr.  Dabney  "had  not  asked  it,"  but  when 
it  was  offered,  he  went  home  to  have  another,  and,  this  time  a 
long  and  terrible  spell  of  camp  fever,  which  brought  him  "near 
to  death's  door."  After  this  came  a  tedious  relapse,  followed  by 
long  prostration.  These  attacks,  together  with  the  pronounced 
Judgment  of  Chief-Surgeon  Walton,  that  he  would  never  be 


272        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

fit  for  the  service,  and  would  certainly  die  if  he  should  go  back, 
induced  him  to  send  in  his  resignation  toward  the  end  of 
August.  Jackson  was  loth  to  permit  it.  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Morri- 
son, of  the  Rockbridge  Baths,  wrote  in  1866: 

"I  remember  to  have  had  a  conversation  with  General  Jaclcson  during 
the  second  battle  of  Manassas.  I  had  gone  to  him  with  a  request  from 
General  Ewell  that  General  Early  be  promoted  and  put  in  command 
of  Ewell's  Division.  General  Jackson  was  lying  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree  on  an  oil-cloth,  on  his  face,  his  head  resting  on  his  arm,  asleep. 
I  had  some  conversation  with  Major  Preston.  He  told  me  not  to  wake 
the  General,  but  to  stay  for  dinner,  when  I  could  see  him.  The  General 
very  soon  awoke,  and  I  delivered  General  Ewell's  message.  He  gave 
me  no  answer  whether  or  not  he  would  recommend  General  Early. 
He  then  asked  me  aside,  and  inquired  if  I  had  heard  recently  from  you. 
He  said,  'Major  Dabney  wishes  to  resign  on  account  of  his  health;  I 
hope  that  after  a  while  he  can  remain  in  the  field.'  I  told  him  that  I 
had  conversed  with  you  on  the  subject,  and  that  you  had  told  me  that 
you  feared  you  would  have  to  give  up  your  position,  as  experience  had 
proven  to  you  that  active  service  so  exhausted  and  prostrated  you  as 
to  render  you  unfit  for  any  duty.  The  General  then  told  me  he  would 
have  to  approve  your  resignation,  but  that  he  did  it  with  the  greatest 
reluctance,  for  that  he  considered  you  the  most  efficient  officer  he  knew, 
he  was  very  much  pleased  with  you  as  an  adjutant,  and  knew  of  no 
one  that  could  fill  your  place."  '^ 

His  resignation  seems  to  have  been  accepted  in  September, 
but  with  genuine  reluctance.  So  ended  his  official,  formal  con- 
nection with  the  Confederate  army.  He  had  been  an  officer 
remarkable  for  his  intelligent,  energetic  and  exact  execution  of 
his  General's  orders.  Lieut. -Col.  G.  F.  R.  Henderson  has  paid 
Major  Dabney  a  high  tribute  in  remarking  of  the  untoward 
delay  of  Jackson's  columns  on  the  day  before  the  battle  of  Cedar 
Run :  ^-  "The  absence  of  Major  Dabney,  struck  down  by  sick- 
ness, is  a  possible  explanation  of  the  faulty  orders."  He  fre- 
quently refers  to  the  soldierly  services  of  Dr.  Dabney  in  his 
great  work,  and  always  with  respect. 

His  recovery  was  slow,  and  his  afflictions  in  his  own  perscjn 
were  accompanied  by  afflictions  in  his  family.  While  he  was 
lying  sick  in  the  relapse,  the  diphtheria  attacked  his  children. 
The  contagion  entered  his  family  from  some  unknown  source 
Charles  William,  Thomas  Price  and  Samuel  Brown,  all  had  it, 


^'  Letter  to  Dr.  Dabney  from  Samuel  B.  Morrison,  dated  March  20.  1866. 
"Henderson's  Stoiicicall  Jackson,  Vol.   H.,  p.   109. 


In  the  War-Time.  273 

and  Thomas  Price  died.  Dr.  Dabney  was  wont  to  speak  of  this 
Httle  fellow  as  one  of  the  brightest,  and  sometimes  as  the 
brightest  of  his  sons.  He  died  on  the  8th  day  after  taking  the 
disease,  and  after  very  great  suffering;  but  in  spite  of  these  ills, 
by  the  13th  of  November,  1862,  .the  stricken  father  was  once 
more  feeling  that  he  was  well  enough  to  attempt  some- 
thing in  the  Lord's  vineyard,  and  that  he  ought  to  be  about 
his  work. 

The  Seminary  session  of  i862-'63  ^vas  most  slimly  attended. 
He  wrote  to  his  mother,  "There  are  only  two  students  in  the 
Seminary,  and  they,  I  think,  seem  very  little  encouraged  to 
study,  so  that  I  shall  have  very  little  to  interest  me  in  my  regu- 
lar duties  here."  Like  his  neighbors,  he  found  some  other 
things  to  think  about.     In  this  same  letter  he  says : 

'•Yesterday,  I  went  out  to  a  sale  to  see  about  getting  some  supplies. 
A  pork  hog  sold  for  sixty-one  dollars.  True,  it  was  a  very  fine  one. 
and  would  make  about  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of  pork.  They 
talk  of  asking  thirty  dollars  a  hundred  about  here  for  pork.  I  bought 
ten  barrels  of  corn,  at  eight  dollars  and  sixty  cents  a  barrel.  The  times 
are  awful." 

By  December  the  3Tst,  two  other  students  had  appeared  at 
the  Seminary.  On  that  day  he  wrote :  "We  have  four  students, 
one  of  whom  is  Mr.  Chauncey  Brooks,  of  Louisville.  He  is  a 
first-rate  man." 

Dr.  Dabney  took  up  again,  with  returning  health,  his  pastoral 
and  ministerial  labors  at  the  College  Ciiurch.  On  the  death  of 
Dr.  James  H.  Thornwell,  he  became  convener  of  the  Assembly's- 
Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the  Form  of  Government  and 
Book  of  Discipline,  but  owing  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times, 
he  advised  that  there  should  be  no  meeting  for  work  that  year. 

His  pen  was  not  inactive  during  this  session  ;  a  very  able 
little  book  was  written,  the  Defense  of  Virginia  and  the 
South. 

While  lying  at  home,  crippled  In-  ill-health,  and  having  little 
teaching  to  do,  he  conceived  the  plan  of  fighting  for  the  Con- 
federacy with  his  pen.  His  object  was  "to  rebut  the  slanders 
of  the  Yankees  against  our  institutions,"  and  to  give  this  rebut- 
tal currency  at  home  and  abroad.  He  believed  that  moral  sup- 
port vyas  as  necessary  to  the  Confederacy  as  military  support. 
Securing  a  copy  of  his  articles  on  slavery,  pubHshed  in  the 
Enquirer,  he  revised,  recast,  and  enlarged  them.  He  thus  made 
18 


^74        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Daijxey. 

the  volume  named  Defense  of  Virginia  and  the  South.  The 
manuscript  was  approved  by  men  of  distinction  and  parts.  He 
submitted  it  to  the  government  through  Mr.  John  Randolph 
Tucker,  Secretary  Seddon,  and  Senator  Hunter,  who  had  all 
approved  it  highly.  The  government  determined  to  have  it 
published  in  London  by  our  commissioners  there,  with  a  view 
to  its  circulation  in  Europe,  and  to  use  so  much  of  the  secret 
service  money  therefor  as  might  be  needed.  It  was  to  be  subse- 
quently republished  in  the  United  States.  Accordingly,  the 
manuscript  was  sent  through  the  blockade  to  the  commissioners 
in  London.  But  Mr.  Mason  submitted  the  manuscript  to  Dr. 
A.  T.  Bledsoe,  who  was  in  London  at  the  time  to  prepare  to 
write  a  book  on  the  Constitutional  History  of  the  United  States. 
He  seems  to  have  objected  that  something  in  Dabney's  book 
was  illogical  or  indiscreet.  He  had  a  book  out  entitled  Liberty 
and  Shivery,  on  the  same  general  subject.  Dr.  Dabney  was 
under  the  impression  that  our  commissioners,  being  intimidated 
by  the  general  Abolition  sentiment  of  Europe,  lacked  the  nerve 
to  print  it ;  that  they  at  first  temporized,  therefore,  and  then 
were  disobedient  to  the  government  at  Richmond.  They  never 
printed  it — "a  most  mistaken  policy,"  in  the  judgment  of  the 
author.  "Our  failure  to  meet  the  Abolition  charges  squarely 
was  viewed  as  a  confession  of  our  own  guilt."  That  Dr.  Dab- 
ney had  met  these  charges  squarely  and  ably  and  successfully 
was  the  judgment,  not  only  of  himself,  but  of  many  who  were 
well  qualified  to  judge.  In  March,  1865,  Senator  Hunter,  Vice- 
I'resident  Stephens  and  Judge  John  A.  Campbell,  on  their  way 
to  the  famous  Hampton  Roads  Conference,  stopped  in  Peters- 
burg. Dr.  T.  A.  Prior  called  on  these  gentlemen  while  there. 
Mr.  Hunter  was  an  old  college-mate  of  Dr.  Prior's.  They 
talked  freely.  Mr.  Hunter  mentioned  to  Dr.  Prior  his  deep 
regret  that  Dabney's  book  had  not  been  published  in  Europe, 
and  condemned  the  policy  of  the  commissioners  in  not  bringing 
it  out.^^  And  in  this  connection  he  remarked  that  since  the 
death  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  he  had  met  with  no  other  mind  which 
dealt  with  public  qi:«estions  with  a  luminous  power  so  like  that 
statesman's. 

After  the  Confederacy  had  fallen,  ''not  less  by  the  slanderers 
of  the  South  than  by  the  swords  of  its  enemies,''  the  work  was 
brought  out.    This  was  in  1867.    E.  J.  Hale,  Esq.,  was  the  pub- 


Letter  of  T.  A.  Prior  to  f)r.  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D. 


In  the  War-Time.  275 

lisher ;  one  edition  was  published  an<l  sold.  It  was  received 
with  high  appreciation  by  able  men,  North  as  well  as  South. 
Then  it  was  covered  with  the  deluge  of  press  output  in  praise 
of  the  victorious  section,  and  the  principles  which  prevailed  in 
that  section.  The  author  saw  the  truths  he  had  established 
discarded,  and  the  slanders  and  sophistries  he  had  refuted  re- 
ceived by  the  world  as  truths  of  an  indisputable  character,  and 
often  by  degenerate  sons  of  the  South,  as  well  as  by  the  multi- 
tudes of  the  North. 

During  these  and  the  following  months,  Dr.  Dabney  was,  of 
course,  writing  and  receiving  letters — letters  that  help  to  bring 
back  the  conditions  of  the  time  in  a  vivid  way. 

Amongst  the  letters  received,  were  at  least  two  from  Stone- 
wall Jackson.  The  latter  of  these  has  suffered  mutilation.  So 
far  as  preserved,  they  are  as  follows: 

"Headquarters  Second  Corps,  A.  N.  Va.,  Dec.  5,  1862. 

"My  Dear  Doctor:  Long  have  I  been  desiring  to  write  to  you,  but 
tip  to  this  time  have  been  prevented.  I  much  regret  that  your  health 
would  not  permit  you  to  remain  longer  in  service  with  the  army  in  the 
field,  but  I  am  very  thankful  to  God  for  having  permitted  me  to  have 
the  privilege  of  being  blessed  with  your  Christian  and  military  labors 
as  long  as  he  did;  and  my  hope  is  that  your  health  is  improving,  and 
that  it  will  soon  be  what  it  was  before  you  joined  me.  Whilst  we  were 
near  Winchester,  it  pleased  our  ever-merciful  Heavenly  Father  to  visit 
my  command  with  the  rich  out-pouring  of  his  spirit.  There  were  prob- 
ably more  than  a  hundred  inquiring  the  wa\'  of  life  in  mj'  old  brigade. 
It  appears  to  me  that  we  may  look  for  growing  piety  and  many  con- 
versions in  the  army,  for  it  is  the  subject  of  prayer.  If  so  many 
prayers  were  offered  for  the  blessing  of  God  upon  any  other  organization 
would  we  not  expect  the  Answerer  of  prayer  to  hear  the  petitions,  and 
send  a  blessing? 

"Many  of  our  soldiers  are  bare-foot.  It  is  gratifying  to  see  that 
many  are  enlisted  in  behalf  of  our  suffering  soldiers.  It  appears  to  me 
that  if  we  go  into  winter  quarters  unusual  efforts  should  be  made  for 
the  spiritual  improvement  of  the  army. 

"Please  remember  me  kindly  to  Mrs.  Dabney,  and  thank  her  for  the 
present  she  sent  me. 

"Your  much-attached  friend,  T.  J.  Jackson." 

"P.  S.—l  have  just  received  a  report  from  Major-General  D.  H. 
Hill,  who,  through  God's  blessing,  has  succeeded  in  driving  off  four 
Federal  gun-boats  from  Port  Royal,  on  the  Rappahannock.  The  work 
was  handsomely  done.  Three  of  the  boats  were  the  Pazvnce,  Anacosta. 
and  Live  Yankee. 


276        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"Caroline  County,  Va.,  January  i,  1863. 

'"My  Dear  Friend:  Your  last  letter  came  safe  to  hand,  and  I  am 
much  gratified  to  see  that  your  prayer-meeting  for  the  army  is  still 
continued.  Dr.  White  writes  that  in  Lexington  they  continue  to  meet 
every  Wednesday  afternoon  for  the  same  purpose.  I  have  more  confi- 
dence in  such  organizations  than  of  military  ones  being  the  means  of 
leading  to  an  early  peace,  though  both  are  necessary. 

"I  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  offer  the  adjutant-generalship  to  Mr. 
Armstrong.  Colonel  Faulkner  has  been  recommended.  He  was  with 
me  last  winter,  and  I  regard  him  as  a  very  valuable  officer.  Should 
anything  prevent  his  getting  the  appointment,  there  are  two  other 
persons  whom  I  would  feel  it  my  duty  to  offer  the  position  to  before 
offering  it  again  to  my  much-esteemed  friend,  Mr.  Armstrong. 

"I  hope  that  3'ou  will  come  with  the  supplies  you  speak  of;  we 
would  all  be  glad  to  see  you  again  at  headquarters,  and  hear  you  preach. 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  you  and  Mrs.  Dabney  for  your  great  kindness 
respecting  the  visit  from  Mrs.  Jackson  and  myself,  but  if  practicable,  it 
is  better  for  those  in  the  army  to  continue  at  their  posts  as  long  as  the 
war  continues.  If  all  our  absentees  were  present,  it  appears  to  me  that, 
with  the  blessing  of  Providence  upon  our  efforts  during  the  coming 
campaign — "    .    .    . 

The  war  was  becoming  constantly  more  cruel.  In  many 
quarters,  non-combatants  were  having  new  experiences.  The 
conditions  in  many  parts  of  Virginia,  toward  which  Dr.  Dab- 
ney's  heart  went  out  in  an  especial  manner,  were  very  ugly. 
His  brother  Francis  writes: 

"Louisa,  May  23.  1863. 

"Dear  Brother  Robert:  Ma  got  a  letter  yesterday  from  sister 
Lavinia,  written  a  week  ago,  asking  to  be  informed  how  we  fared  in 
the  late  Yankee  raid  in  this  county.  As  nothing  else  has  been  talked  i)f 
here  since,  I  may  as  well  jump  into  my  account  of  it  at  once. 

"The  morning  of  Sunday,  May  3rd,  the  first  thing  I  knew  of  Yan- 
kees, they  were  coming  in  at  the  'old  stone'  gate.  We  then  tried  to  hide 
some  silver  and  valuable  papers,  and  to  run  the  horses,  not  to  Henry 
county,  but  to  a  piece  of  pines.  I  deemed  it  best  to  dodge  them,  too ; 
and  I  had  just  got  our  horses  out  of  sight  of  the  stable  (having  left 
old  'Jim'),  when  I  heard  a  gun  fire  at  my  stable.  Thinks  I,  old  Jim, 
you've  gone  home  this  time,  sure;  but  no,  one  of  old  Abe's 
Dutch  cavalrymen  had  shot  a  fine  young  horse  that  was  tired  down, 
and  took  old  Jim.  After  the  raid,  I  found  old  Jim  two  or  three 
miles  from  here.  The  Yank  had  given  him  to  a  negro,  so  I  got 
him  back.  Well,  the  devils  came  on  to  the  house,  .scared  the  women 
and    children,    asked    for    the    horses    and    some    food,    but    did    not 

"  The  rest  of  the  letter  is  lost. 


In  the  War-Timk.  277 

come  into  ma's  house  at  all  during  their  stay.  They  searched  about 
here  Sunday  and  Monday,  and  would  not  have  found  our  horses  then 
if  they  had  not  been  shown.  One  of  ma's  negroes,  Pompey  by  name, 
showed  them  w'here  my  horses  were.  They  took  seven  from  us ;  we 
lost  nothing  else,  though.  This  party's  headquarters  were  at  Thomp- 
son's 'Four  Corners,'  as  they  call  it  in  their  account  of  the  feat,  and  it 
seems  we  were  a  little  too  far  off  for  them  to  haul  corn  from  here,  for 
the  short  time  they  stayed.  If  they  had  stayed  a  few  days  longer,  they 
would  have  used  everything  in  the  world  we  have.  Persons  living  on 
that  side  of  the  river  lost  everything ;  all  the  corn,  bacon,  flour,  fowls, 
hogs,  etc.  I  have  neither  time  nor  paper  to  tell  you  of  all  that  our  kind 
friends  lost.  They  were  worse  at  Mr.  Payne's  and  Cousin  Mary  Kean's 
than  anywhere  else.  They  destroyed  a  good  deal  at  Mr.  Payne's ;  took 
all  his  bacon,  and  everything  out  of  the  mill.  They  ransacked  sister 
Anne's  house ;  every  drawer  and  repository  of  trinkets  or  valuables ; 
stole  Mr.  Woodworth's  clothes  and  his  money,  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars,  and  sister  Anne's  wearing  clothes.  They  must  have 
given  the  ladies'  apparel  to  the  negroes,  for  these  grim  sons  of  Mars 
could  not  have  wanted  it  for  their  own  use.  At  su(^h  a  time  as  that 
the  negroes  are  an  element  of  weakness  with  us,  for  it  was  simply 
impossible  to  hide  anything.  Some  would  tell  everything.  I  would 
have  run  our  horses  off  somewhere,  but  the  misfortune  was  that  as 
late  as  Sunday  morning  I  did  not  know  which  way  to  start.  The 
Yankees  seemed  to  be  all  around  us.  Since  they  went  away,  I  have 
heard  of  several  places  where  I  could  have  hid  my  horses.  But  it 
would  have  required  an  omniscient  mind  to  have  known  it  then.  Ma 
was  much  flustered  on  Sunday  morning,  but  she  soon  got  composed ; 
and  I  mentioned  that  none  of  them  came  in  our  house.  None  of  our 
negroes  went  with  the  Yankees,  not  even  Pompey.  A  good  many  went 
from  these  parts.  Mr.  Payne's  John  led  the  Yankees  about  his  house, 
and  then  went  off  with  them,  and  three  of  Cousin  M.  Kean's.  The 
raiders  say  they  got  five  hundred  negroes  that  trip.  By  Tuesday  evening 
they  got  certain  news  of  their  defeat  at  Petersburg;  and  they  got  in 
a  great  hurry  to  leave  these  parts.  They  killed  two  hundred  and  twenty 
horses  and  mules  at  Thompson's  Four  Corners,  and  as  many  more  at 
Yanceyville,  where  there  was  another  large  camp.  They  burnt  their 
wagons  and  the  bridge  at  South  Anna,  and  left  in  the  night,  Tuesday 
night,  without  saying  good-bye.  In  their  haste  they  threw  away  over- 
coats, caps,  guns,  etc.  General  Stoneman  was  to  come  on  here,  and 
lie  ready  to  cut  off  General  Lee's  retreat,  whether  he  fell  back  towards 
Richmond,  or  to  the  James  at  some  other  point.  That  is  a  mighty 
pretty  tale  sister  Lavinia  tells  about  the  Prince  Edward  gentlemen 
coming  down  to  the  High  Bridge  to  meet  the  Yankees  with  their 
fowling-pieces.  But  these  Yanks  along  here  had  something  of  heavier 
metal  than  partridge  guns,  in  the  shape  of  ten  or  twelve  pieces  of 
cannon,  against  which  shot-guns  would  have  made  a  poor  show.     The 


2/8        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Yankees  carried  off  a  great  number  of  horses  from  Louisa,  Goochland 
and  Hanover.  Brother  William  did  not  lose  his.  He  has  lent  me  two 
Confederate  horses,  rather  poor,  and  I  have  borrowed  two  others  at 
times.  I  have  not  bought  any  horses  yet.  I  have  almost  finished 
planting  corn.  Some  land  has  got  too  hard  now.  The  planting  of  corn 
in  this  region  is  a  gloomy  business;  we  know  not  who  may  reap.  But 
I  suppose  we  must  plant  in  faith.  I  think  ma's  health  is  declining 
somewhat.  She  has  had  a  cough  for  three  or  four  weeks,  and  sore 
throat.     She  wants  to  see  you  very  much.    .     .     . 

"Yours,  etc.,  Geo.  F.  Dabnev. 


In  connection  with  the  foregoing  glimpse  of  conditions  in  the 
suffering  South,  it  is  worth  while  to  read  the  following  repre- 
sentation of  conditions  North,  in  the  same  year,  by  a  sympa- 
thizer with  the  South : 

'"New  York,  Noi'cmbcr  9,  1863. 

"My  De.\r  Dabney  :  Your  good,  long  epistle  of  September  19th 
came  to  hand  about  the  first  of  last  month.  You  cannot  tell  what  a 
prize  I  considered  it,  and  how  fully  it  tallied  with  my  own  vision  of  the 
horrible  condition  in  which  we  are  engulfed.  I  valued  it,  first,  because 
it  was  from  an  old  friend ;  second,  because  it  gave,  in  a  masterly  man- 
ner, so  true,  but  dark  a  picture  of  the  times,  and  so  glorious  a  vision  of 
God's  work  of  power  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  third,  because  it 
gave  tidings  of  my  vanished  boy.  May  God  bless  him,  and  make  him  a 
blessing. 

"If  your  picture  of  our  condition  was  true  in  September,  it  would 
require  an  additional  quantity  of  black  paint  to  fetch  it  up  to  the  present 
state  of  matters.  The  elections  in  the  great  States  are  over,  and  in  all. 
furloughed  soldiers  and  greenbacks  have  ruled  the  day.  The  Lincolnites 
have  it  all  their  own  way.  The  apathy  of  the  masses  is  perfectly  won- 
derful. In  this  city  the  luxury  and  extravagance  never  has  been 
equalled.  The  whole  city  is  one  vast  'Vanity  Fair,'  and  one  would 
think  that  no  such  thing  as  'war's  desolations'  existed  in  the  wide 
world.  There  is  a  heartlessness  in  the  entire  community  that  makes  one 
shudder.  God  has  given  them  over  to  'strong  delusions' ;  and  it  matters 
not  a  whit,  to  the  gay  throngs  in  the  streets,  that  civil  liberty  is 
crushed  here,  and  but  a  few  miles  away  the  work  of  slaughter  is  going 
on,  and  souls  innumerable  are  being  sent  to  the  bar  of  God,  unshriven 
ilnd  unblessed. 

"We  have  read  and  talked  in  other  days  of  the  heartlessness  and 
frivolity  of  Atheistic  France  in  her  bloody  revelries,  but  she  never 
equalled  us.  Her  page  in  history  will  be  bright  and  unsullied  alongside 
the  fearful  one  which  shall  recount  the  true  state  of  our  community  now. 

"The  view  you  gave  me  of  our  conditions  as  subjected  by  the  bayo- 
nets of  the  vast  army  of  Lincoln  is  most  true.     Its  potency  is  already 


In  the  War-Time.  279 

developed.     It  is  now  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  gigantic  machine 
and  moves  only  as  directed  by  the  hand  at  the  lever. 

"And  as  in  the  despotism  of  the  Old  World,  so  here  military  life  has 
become  one  of  the  professions,  and  the  most  popular  one.  Men  look  to 
It  as  the  best  opening  for  their  sons,  and  young  men  pant  for  the  time 
when  they  can  don  shoulder-straps,  and  enjoy  the  'devil-may-care'  life 
of  the  camp.  Promotions  have  been  abundant  and  rapid,  and  the  glare 
of  such  advancement  has  bewitched  the  popular  mind. 

"The  whole  community  seems  led  captive  by  Satan  at  his  will.  That 
constitutional  liberty  is  gone  is  self-evident,  that  the  great  majority  of 
the  people  don't  care  a  fig  about  it  is  ditto. 

"Your  strictures  on  the  Democratic  party  are  entirely  just.  The 
party  had  step  by  step  become  a  party  of  hypocrisy.  They  retained  the 
name  for  its  popularity,  and  as  a  pass-word  to  office  and  profits.  Its 
great  principles  had  long  been  forgotten  and  ignored.  This  is  the  key 
to  the  wonderful  facility  with  which  the  party  clamored  for  war,  and 
tried  to  oust  the  Black  Republicans  from  the  front  seats  in  the  chariot 
of  Mars;  and  look  at  the  list  of  the  professed  Democrats  who  were 
foremost  in  taking  up  the  sword,  from  Staunton,  Secretary  of  War,  to 
Brute  Butler,  a  Breckinridge  Democrat,  par  excellence,  and  McClelland, 
Grant,  etc.,  etc..  etc.  How  often  has  this  fact  been  thrown  in  my  teeth, 
to  be  as  often  repelled  by  my  asserting  that  no  man  could  be  a  Demo- 
crat who  took  place  or  fought  in  an  Abolition  war.  'They  went  out  from 
us  because  they  were  not  of  us.' 

"The  only  hope  of  constitutional  liberty  is  with  you;  here  it  is  gone 
totally,  irrevocably. 

"Therefore,  stand  up  like  men,  don't  flag,  don't  be  discouraged. 
When  and  what  the  end  will  be,  God  knows,  and  he  only.  Ours  is  duty; 
issues  are  his. 

"I  had  a  very  pleasant  letter  a  few  days  since  from  Dr.  M.  D.  Hoge, 
dated  at  Bermuda,  on  the  eve  of  his  leaving  for  Wilmington  and  Rich- 
mond. I  see  by  the  papers  a  kind  Providence  carried  him  through.  I 
shall  send  this  under  cover  to  Mr.  William  P.  Campbell,  St.  George, 
Bermuda,  who  will  kindly  forward  any  letters  or  other  matter  either 
way.  Can't  you  send  me  a  copy  of  the  last  minutes  of  your  Genera! 
Assembly?  I  have  not  met  with  any  of  the  minutes  of  the  Assembly, 
South.  Any  package  of  that  sort  (religious  papers,  pamphlets,  etc.) 
sent  by  way  of  Wilmington  to  Bermuda  to  Mr.  Campbell's  care,  would 
reach  me. 

"I  am  unloosing  my  roots  preparatory  to  a  move,  if  God  shall  spare 
my  life  and  open  the  way.  If  I  must  live  under  a  despot,  let  me  have  an 
old-fashioned,  legitimate  one — a  Bourbon,  a  Hapsburg,  or  a  Bonaparte 
— not  a  shoddy,  mushroom  thing,  of  rail-splitting  antecedents. 

"Remember  me  kindly  to  all  my  friends.  May  God's  blessing  rest  on 
you  all,  and  crown  your  efforts  for  home  and  liberty  with  abundant 
blessings.  Yours  in  Christ,  F.  M.  Nev'In." 


28o        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dadxev. 

On  the  loth  of  May,  1863,  the  immortal  "Stonewall  Jackson" 
had  died  of  the  wounds  received  in  his  last  great  flank  move- 
ment. Mrs.  Jackson  employed  Dr.  Dabney  to  write  her  hus- 
band's biography.  The  remaining  part  of  the  year  1863.  ^"d 
the  most  of  1864,  and  the  early  part  of  1865,  were  spent  in  the 
collection  of  materials,  and  the  writing  of  this  work.  The  sub- 
ject was  splendid  and  noble.  It  is  a  rare  thing  when  a  man  has 
such  a  life  to  write.  Many  regarded  Jackson  as  very  fortunate, 
also,  in  the  character  of  his  biographer.  The  interest  which 
Dr.  Dabney's  undertaking  the  life  of  Jackson  excited  in  the 
public  mind  is  indicated  by  the  following  letter  to  Dr.  Mc- 
Gufifey,  of  the  University  of  Virginia: 

"University.  July  6.  1863. 

"My  Dear  Sir  :  You  were  kind  enough  yesterday  to  promise  me 
3'our  assistance  with  Dr.  Dabney,  and  1  avail  myself  of  it  at  once  to 
mention  the  following  simple  facts. 

"The  life  of  a  man  so  great  and  so  good  as  General  Jackson  was, 
written  by  a  friend  and  comrade  of  kindred  spirit,  cannot  fail  to  produce 
a  double  result  on  foreign  nations.  His  brilliant  success  as  a  soldier,  his 
high-toned  character,  and  unsurpassed  self-abnegation,  must  win  the 
esteem  of  the  worldly-minded,  and  raise  our  people  in  their  estimation 
through  him,  whom  we  may  present  as  a  type  of  our  men,  and  as  the 
honored  and  beloved  of  a  nation. 

"The  combination  of  these  rare  gifts  and  powers  with  true  piety, 
probably  unsurpassed  in  history,  must  needs  win  the  aflfection  of  all 
believers,  and  may  serve  as  a  great  example  and  encouragement  to  the 
weak  and  wavering. 

"Both  these  purposes  are  particularly  needed  in  Northern  Germany, 
where  I  propose  to  publish  a  German  translation  of  Dr,  Dabney's  work, 
if  I  can  obtain  his  consent.  The  State  Department  will  forward  the 
manuscript;  it  will  be  placed,  in  Berlin,  in  the  hands  of  pious  friends  of 
mine,  who,  I  have  reason  to  hope,  will  see  to  its  being  well  published. 
Dr.  Dabney  will,  of  course,  be  entitled  to  such  a  share  of  the  profits  as 
he  may  claim.  To  avoid  being  anticipated,  through  Northern  channels, 
it  would  be  important  for  me  to  obtain  his  leave  to  translate  the  work 
as  it  progresses  under  his  hand,  so  that  it  may  be  brought  out  there  and 
here  as  nearly  simultaneously  as  can  l)c. 

"Whatever  you  can  do  to  aid  me  in  carrying  out  this  plan,  which  I 
think  is  not  without  a  prospect  of  public  usefulness,  will  be  most  grate- 
fully acknowledged  by 

"Your  huml)lo  friend  and  servant, 

"M.  ScHELE  De  Vere."  '^ 

"  So  far  as  our  information  goes,  this  interesting  project  was  never 

furthered. 


In  THE  War-T[me.  28 1 

It  got  abroad  in  the  North  that  Dabney  was  writing  the  Hfe 
of  Jackson,  and  more  than  one  Democrat  itched  to  get  his 
fingers  on  to  the  work.  His  friend  Niven  wrote,  "By  the  way,  I 
see  it  stated  that  you  are  preparing  his  biography.  Put  me 
down  for  ten  copies." 

The  correspondence,  which  has  been  preserved,  is  sufficient 
to  show  that  Dr.  Dabney  used  great  exertions  to  get  the  ma- 
terials. He  visited  Mrs.  Jackson,  in  North  Carolina,  to  find 
out  all  he  could  from  her,  and  get  everything  in  her  possession 
which  he  supposed  would  be  of  use  to  him.  He  visited  Lee's 
army,  after  its  return  from  Gettysburg,  to  learn  what  he  could 
from  those  who  had  taken  part  in  Jackson's  campaigns.  He 
got  access  to  the  records  in  Richmond ;  he  learned  what  he 
could  by  correspondence.  He  finished  his  work  a  little  before 
the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  It  was  first  published  by  Nesbit 
&  Co.,  in  London,  and  again,  in  1867,  by  Blelock  &  Co.,  in 
New  York. 

It  w^as  a  great  biography.  Several  lives  have  now  been  writ- 
ten of  this  illustrious  leader  of  armies.  The  greatest  in  the  eyes 
of  merely  military  men  is,  perhaps,  that  by  Lieut. -Col.  G.  F.  R. 
Henderson,  of  England.  As  an  essay  on  military  tactics  and 
strategy,  the  work  of  Colonel  Henderson  does  outrank  that  of 
Dr.  Dabney,  but  even  here  the  superiority  of  Henderson  over 
Dabney  seems  to  be  largely  due  to  Dabney's  greater  brevity. 
In  treating  of  the  civil  questions  between  the  two  sections,  in 
explaining  the  character  of  Jackson's  patriotism,  and  in  por- 
traying Jackson's  religious  character  and  life,  Dabney  gives 
superior  evidence  of  mastery  of  the  subject.  Those  who  read 
and  compare  these  two  works  are  to  remember  that  Henderson 
had  Dabney's  work  to  peruse,  improve  upon,  and  add  to,  as  he 
was  able,  and  to  elaborate,  and  that  while  the  English  professor 
of  Military  Art  and  History  never  made  other  than  a  fair  and 
generous  use  of  Dabney's  work,  D.abney  had  no  such  help  as 
Henderson  found  in  his  labors.  Colonel  Henderson  himself 
speaks  of  Dabney's  Life  of  Jackson  in  the  following  praiseful 
and  praiseworthy  terms : 

"Several  biographies  have  already  been  pubHshecI,  and  that  written 
by  the  late  Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D.,  some  time  major  in  the  Con- 
federate army,  and  Jackson's  chief  of  staff  for  several  months,  is  so 
complete  and  powerfnl  that  the  need  of  a  successor  is  not  at  once 
apparent.  This  work,  however,  was  brought  out  before  the  war  had 
ceased,   and,   notwithstanding   his   intimate    relations   with   his   hero,   it 


282        Life  and  Letters  op  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

was  impossible  for  the  author  to  attain  that  fulness  and  precision  of 
statement  which  the  study  of  the  official  records  can  alone  ensure.  Nor 
was  Dr.  Dabney  a  witness  of  all  the  events  he  so  vigorously  described. 
It  is  only  fitting,  however,  that  I  should  acknowledge  the  debt  I  owe 
to  a  soldier  and  writer  of  such  conspicuous  ability.  Not  only  have  I 
quoted  freely  from  his  pages,  but  he  was  good  enough,  at  my  request, 
to  write  exhaustive  memoranda  on  disputed  points." 


Dr.  Dabney's  characteristic  modesty  appears  in  this  work. 
Though  so  close  a  personal  friend  of  Jackson,  and  such  an 
efficient  member  of  his  military  family,  he  says  nothing  of 
himself. 

After  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  in  the  summer  of  1863,  Dr. 
Dabney  was  greatly  agitated  over  the  prospects  of  the  Confed- 
eracy. .He  felt  that  the  time  had  come  when  the  people  of  the 
South  must  make  great  sacrifices  if  they  were  to  maintain  their 
independence,  and  he  felt  that  our  public  men  in  the  lead  of 
affairs  should  insist  on  the  people's  making  these  sacrifices.  He 
could  not  make  known  his  views  through  the  press,  owing  to 
the  delicate  questions  involved,  but  he  tried  in  other  ways  to 
reach  the  ears  of  those  in  supreme  power.  Thus  we  find  him  at 
Orange  Courthouse,  in  August,  1863,  talking  in  the  ears  of 
those  whom  he  thinks  influential  with  President  Davis  and 
General  Lee.  He  had  gone  thither  to  see  his  old  mess-mates 
of  the  Second  Corps,  and  talk  over  the  campaigns  and  battles 
of  Stonewall  Jackson.  While  he  was  there  a  grand  review  of 
A.  P.  Hill's  Corps  was  held  a  few  miles  east  of  the  courthouse. 
It  brought  to  witness  it  many  prominent  men.  While  the  vast 
column  is  filing  by  General  Lee,  we  hear  Dr.  Dabney  talking 
with  one,  at  least,  of  those  close  both  to  Mr.  Davis  and  to 
General  Lee,  very  earnestly  of  what  he  thinks  the  country  ought 
to  do.  He  intimates,  at  the  outset,  that  what  he  has  to  say 
cannot  very  well  be  "said  out  loud."  He  has  somewhat  to  say 
also  about  his  being  too  humble  a  person  to  suggest  to  those  at 
the  helm  what  should  be  done.  He  is  courteously  asked,  how- 
ever, what  suggestions  he  would  like  to  have  made.  Where- 
upon he  says :  First,  our  leaders  should  recognize  the  unpleasant 
truth  that  without  efficient  aid  from  abroad  we  shall  finally  be 
overthrown.  Second,  to  get  that  aid  we  must  pay  for  it.  Pay 
what?  Gradual  emancipation.  He  reviewed  the  attitude  of 
England  and  France  towards  us.  He  showed,  by  Napoleon's 
Mexican  enterprise,  and  by  the  intimations  of  Lords  Palmerstpn 


In  the  War-Time.  283 

and  Campbell,  that  those  governments  were  not  insensible  to 
the  advantages  of  dismembering  their  great  democratic  rival, 
the  United  States,  and  securing  the  advantages  of  commercial 
treaties  with  a  great  free-trading  South.  He  showed  that  both 
cabinets  had  their  hands  tied  by  the  fanatical  anti-slavery  feel- 
ing of  their  people.  He  showed  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  at  last 
been  "keen  enough"  to  strengthen  their  shackles  by  his  emanci- 
pation proclamation,  making  the  war  an  Abolition  war.  He 
argued  that  only  one  move  could  save  the  South  from  ruin,  and 
checkmate  Lincoln.  That  was  to  offer  a  treaty  with  large  com- 
mercial advantages,  and  a  pledge  of  future  gradual  emancipa- 
tion, separately  to  England  and  France  (so  as  to  stir  up  their 
mutual  jealousy  about  it).  He  said  the  South  had  the  choice 
of  emancipating,  by  their  own  act,  gradually,  prudently,  and 
thus  having  liberty  without  the  negroes,  or  continuing  the  tight 
on  the  present  plan  until  it  should  be  exhausted,  and  lose  the 
negroes  and  liberty  too.  He  said  that  the  latter  course  would 
be  followed  by  negro  domination.  He  expressed  his  fears  that 
there  would  not  be  found  a  readiness  for  this  sacrifice  until  the 
time  had  come  that  the  sacrifice  would  do  no  good.  He  thought 
that  it  would  then  be  made.  However,  he  wished  that  the  best 
men  might  at  once  be  put  to  work  to  prepare  the  minds  of  the 
Virginia  people  for  the  sacrifice,  that  soon  a  convention  should 
be  called,  and  should  make  a  tender  to  the  Confederate  Presi- 
dent and  Senate  of  a  power  to  emancipate,  for  this  diplomatic 
purpose,  and  that  in  this  way  \'irginia  should  lead  the  other 
Southern  States  to  confer  the  same  power,  by  their  own  several 
sovereign  action. 

This  seed-sowing,  however,  seems  to  have  borne  no  fruit. 
The  Seminary  session  of  i863-'64  was  a  lonely  one.  There 
were  only  three  students.  They  did  not  distinguish  themselves 
in  study.  The  congregations  at  the  College  had  been  thinned 
and  saddened,  too.  It  must  have  been  a  solace  for  such  a  man 
as  Dr.  Dabney  to  have  the  Life  of  Stonczcall  Jackson  to  repro- 
duce at  this  time. 

It  is  in  accord  with  his  many-sidedness  that  he  could  turn 
aside  from  these  great  labors  to  others  of  the  humblest  sort. 
In  the  late  summer  of  1864,  Mrs.  Dabney  fell  into  poor  health. 
He  sent  her  off  to  the  springs,  and  himself  assumed  her  duties 
while  she  was  absent.  He  writes  on  the  30th  of  August,  1864, 
"For  the  last  three  weeks  I  have  been  with  the  children  at  home, 
acting  the  part  of  an  old  hen,   keeping  house,   drying   fruit, 


284        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

making  molasses,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  Of  course,  there  is  very  little 
studying  and  writing  going  on." 

He  was  watching  the  war,  during  all  these  months,  with  ever- 
deepening  sympathies  for  his  suffering  fellow-patriots.  When 
he  had  heard  from  Louisa  in  January,  1864,  that  some  of  his 
own  people  were  no  longer  able  to  shoe  their  slaves,  nor  to  buy 
harness  for  the  few  poor  horses  left  them  by  the  thievish  in- 
vaders, nor  to  keep  their  horses  in  working  order,  he  compre- 
hended it  all  and  felt  it  as  much  as  the  sufferers  themselves.  As 
lirave  friends  fell,  he  felt  that  they  were  falling  for  him  and  his 
family.  He  had  foreseen  the  possibility  of  it  all  as  few  had,  but 
he  felt  the  woes  of  his  country  also  as  few  could,  and  a  conse- 
quent vast  indignation  against  her  invaders. 

On  June  9,  1864,  he  writes  to  Mr.  Hugh  Guthrie,  of  Tinkling 
Spring : 

"My  Dear  Friend:  We  were  greatly  shocked  this  morning  to  hear, 
through  a  note  from  Mrs.  Brown,  that  your  nephew,  B.  Craig,  had 
fallen  in  battle  last  Friday;  and  that  Newton,  his  brother,  brought 
her  communication  as  he  passed  by  Farmville  on  his  way  with  the  sad 
burden  of  his  body.  I  suppose  that  to-day  you  are  engaged  at  dear 
old  Tinkling  Spring  in  committing  his  body  to  the  grave.  I  wish  I 
could  be  there  to  give  a  warmer  assurance  of  my  sympathy  with  you, 
and  his  mother,  and  other  relatives.  Every  time  I  hear  of  the  fall  of  a 
friend  among  our  valuable  young  men  I  feel  a  shock  of  grief  and 
indignation.  I  feel  that  there  is  a  sense  in  which  they  have  died  for 
me,  and  in  my  stead,  for  my  defence,  and  that  of  my  home  and  little 
ones,  and  that  their  sufiferings  and  blood  are  the  price  of  my  safety. 
How  can  we  sympathize  enough  with  the  friends  and  homes  they  loved 
and  have  left  behind  them?" 

His  most  conspicuous  service,  in  these  years,  for  the 
church  and  kingdom  of  Christ  was  his  effort  to  unite  the 
Synod  of  the  South  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  Confederate  States  of  America,  an  effort  crowned  with 
blessed  success.  In  1838,  a  split  had  occurred  between 
the  Old  and  New  School  wings  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America.  In  1857,  the  Southern 
contingent  of  the  New  School  body  had  withdrawn  from 
its  Assembly  in  the  North,  because  the  Cleveland  Assem- 
bly of  that  body,  in  1857.  had  "adopted  a  paper,  touching  the 
subject  of  slavery,  that  was  regarded  by  some  of  the  members 
of  the  Assembly  as  contrary  to  Scripture,  and  violation  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  Church,  in  that  it  virtually  made  slave- 


In  THE  War-Tim  1-:.  285 

holding  a  cause  for  discipline  by  the  church  courts."  ^'^     The 
aggrieved  members  secured  a  convention  in  Richmond,  Va., 
during  the  August  following,  which,  despairing  of  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  in  the  New  School 
body,  abhorring  being  disciplined  for  something  made  an  of- 
fence neither  by  the  standards  nor  the  Bible,  deprecating  the 
Assembly's  high-handed  and  unconstitutional  measures  in  con- 
demning a  lower  judicatory  or  individuals  for  any  cause,  with- 
out bringing  the  offenders  before  the  Assembly   in  the   way 
prescribed   in   the   Constitution,    "resolved   to   recommend   the 
Presbyteries  which  were  opposed  to  the  slavery  agitation  in  the 
highest  judicatories  of  the  church  to  appoint"  delegates  to  meet 
at  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  on  the  third  Thursday  in  May,  1858,  to 
organize  a  General   Synod,  under  the  name  of  "The  United 
Synod   of  the   Presbyterian   Church   in   the   United   States   of 
America."     This  Synod,  on  its  organization  in  1858,  made  an 
overture  to  the  Old   School   Assembly   for  reception   into  its 
fold;    but  that  body  was  not  disposed,   in  the  year   1858,  to 
receive  the  overture  favorably.     But  by  1863.  the  Old  School 
Church  of  the   South,   called  at  the   time   "The   Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  Confederate  States  of  America,"  was  inclined  to 
the  Union.     It  no  longer  entertained  doubts  as  to  the  doctrinal 
soundness  of  the  New  School  of  the  South.     Indeed,  it  had 
long  been  know  that  few  of  the  New  School  men  of  the  South 
were  ever  advocates  of  the  distinctive  New  School  doctrines ; 
that  they  had  gone  with  the  New  School  party,  at  the  split  of 
1838.  largely  because  of  friendship  for  New  School  men,  be- 
cause of  the  peculiar  ecclesiastical  moves  of  the  Old  School 
men,   i837-'38,  and  because  of  the  extreme  and  unjustifiable 
representations  made  of  the  New  School  party  by  such  men  as 
Drs.  Plumer  and  Breckinridge,  and  that  the  supposed  wrongs 
of  the  New  School  party  had  considerably  swelled  their  seced- 
ing ranks.     Between  1861  and  1863,  mutual  confidence  of  the 
two  bodies  in  one  another  grew,  and  the  desire  for  union  was 
enkindled  into  a  strong  flame.     In  response  to  an  overture  to 
take  the  proper  steps   "to  bring  about  a   union   between   the 
Old  and  New  School  Presbyterians  in  the  Confederate  States." 
the  Assembly,  sitting  in  Columbia.  S.  C.  in  1863.  appointed  a 
committee  to  confer  on  the  subject  of  union  with  any  committee 
that  should  be  appointed  by  the  United  Synod,  with  the  view  • 

""'  Alexander's  Digest,  p.  494. 


286        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

of  ascertaining  whether  a  union  could  be  formed  upon  any  basis 
that  "should  be  satisfactory  to  both  parties,"  and  "should  offer 
reasonable  grounds  of  hope  for  permanent  harmony  and  cooper- 
ation." The  Assembly  appointed  an  able  committee  for  the 
purpose  described,  and  made  Dr.  Dabney  its  chairman.  Similar 
measures  were  taken  in  the  Synod  of  the  South.  The  chairman 
of  its  able  committee  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  C.  Stiles. 

In  July,  1863,  the  committees  of  the  bodies  met  in  Lynchburg, 
Va.,  in  the  lecture-room  of  Dr.  Ramsey's  church.  After  prayer, 
the  two  committees  were  informally  resolved  into  one  inter- 
locutory committee.  For  a  little  while  there  was  a  constrained 
silence.  Then  Dr.  Dabney  arose,  with  "shoulders  shrugged  up" 
and  "both  hands  in  his  breeches  pockets,  trying  to  look  as 
much  like  a  clod-hopper,"  says  Dr.  McGuffey,^^  "as  he  could." 
He  began,  "Well,  brethren,  as  nobody  seems  ready,  I  would 
like  to  try  to  talk  a  little."  "He  then  went  on,"  continues  Dr. 
McGuffey,  "and  made  the  most  adroit  speech  possible,  and  one 
of  the  best  I  ever  heard."  It  is  ceitain  that  he  did  not  go  to 
this  conference  without  special  preparation.  His  address  capti- 
vated the  representatives  of  the  Synod  of  the  South. 

Dr.  Stiles  arose  with  great  solemnity  and  began  thus,  "Dr. 
Dabney's  views  are  marked  by  entire  fairness,  and  if  the  spirit 
of  magnificent  equity  which  breathes  through  them  prevails  in 
this  joint  committee,  the  breach  between  us  is  healed,"  and  more 
to  the  same  purpose. 

A  friendly  discussion  followed.  The  two  committees  con- 
curred in  recommending  to  the  Southern  Assembly  and  the 
United  Synod  a  plan  of  union  embracing  two  great  features, 
viz. :  First,  a  brief  doctrinal  declaration,  clearing  up  the  sup- 
posed differences  of  doctrine  on  the  essential  points  of  Calvin- 
istic  and  Covenant  theology.  Second,  a  statement  of  a  pla:n  for 
consolidating  the  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  and  such  congrega- 
tions as  might  desire  it,  without  disturbing  any  property  rights, 
pastoral  relations,  or  ministerial  standing  in  the  United  Pres- 
byteries. Dr.  Dabney  wrote  the  doctrinal  articles ;  rather,  he 
went  to  the  conference  with  an  entire  basis  written  out.  The 
doctrinal  part  of  it,  after  some  revision  of  one  paragraph,  he 
presented  as  his  draft.  Its  Calvinism  was  thoroughgoing  and 
strong,  but  in  a  certain  quarter  no  small  opposition  was  made  to 

"  Dr.  McGuffey,  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  Dr.  Ramsey,  of 
Lynchburg,  had  been  admitted  as  spectators. 


In  the  War-Time.  287 

it  as  containing  heretical  clauses.  In  the  SoiitJicni  Presbyterian 
hot  war  was  waged  against  these  supposed  errors,  but  the 
columns  of  the  paper  were  thrown  open  to  Dr.  Dabney,  and  he 
ably  and  adequately  vindicated  the  articles  as  free  from  error. 
The  discussion  in  the  Assembly  of  1864,  over  the  proposed 
basis  of  union  deserves  to  rank  with  the  foremost  debates  in 
the  history  of  our  church.  Dr.  Adger  led  the  opposition.  He 
was  assisted  by  the  already  distinguished  and  eloquent  Dr. 
B.  M.  Palmer.  They  were  opposed  by  Dr.  Dabney,  supported 
by  Drs.  Hoge,  Kirkpatrick  and  others.  Dr.  Dabney  spoke  for 
three  hours,  and  won  for  himself  a  name  far  above  his  previous 
reputation  as  a  theological  debater.  The  two  hours  which  he 
spent  in  defence  of  the  doctrinal  statement  drew  forth  for  him 
the  most  enthusiastic  admiration  of  the  body.  But  after  the 
discussion  the  Assembly  decided  to  omit  the  doctrinal  propo- 
sitions from  the  terms  of  union,  explaining  its  action  as  follows : 

"Believing  that  the  approval  of  these  propositions  by  the  committees 
of  conference,  and  extensively  among  both  bodies,  has  served  a  valuaJDJe 
purpose,  by  presenting  satisfactory  evidence  of  such  harmony  and 
soundness  of  doctrinal  views  as  may  ground  an  honorable  union,  the 
Assembly  does  yet  judge  that  it  is  most  prudent  to  unite  on  the  basis 
of  our  existing  standards  only,  inasmuch  as  no  actual  necessity  for 
other  declarations  of  belief  in  order  to  a  happy  union  now  exists." 

This  was  satisfactory  to  Dr.  Dabney,  his  paper  having  really 
accomplished  its  chief  purpose.  After  some  further,  but  unes- 
sential modifications  of  the  terms  of  union  proposed  by  the  com- 
mittees, the  vote  was  taken,  with  the  result  that  there  were 
^7,  for  to  7  against,  Drs.  Adger  and  Palmer  carrying  but  five 
votes  in  addition  to  their  own. 

As  is  often  the  case  in  such  movements,  Dr.  Dabney  had 
reasons  for  desiring  the  union  of  the  two  bodies  which  he  did 
not  like  to  use  publicly.  He  knew  that  if  the  two  churches  did 
not  unite,  that  the  Synod  of  the  South  would  soon  establish  a 
seminary  for  the  instruction  of  their  young  ministers,  and  that 
Dr.  A.  H.  H.  Boyd,  of  Winchester,  would,  owing  to  his  pre- 
eminence of  scholarship  and  mental  power,  be  put  into  that 
seminary  as  a  professor,  and  that  Dr.  Boyd  would  infect  with 
his  own  views  many  of  his  pupils.  He  knew  that  in  case  of  the 
union  of  the  two  churches  no  such  seminary  would  be  estab- 
lished, and  that  the  ministry  of  the  United  Church  would  be 
taught  in  Old  School  seminaries ;    and  that  the  two  or  three 


288        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

men  of  unsound  views  would  soon  pass  away.  Indeed,  Dr. 
Boyd  was  then  sick,  never  to  recover,  so  the  issue  proved.  He 
had  stoutly  withstood  the  movement  for  union  in  1861  ;  but  by 
1863,  having  discovered  that  he  was  theologically  in  the  very 
smallest  minority  in  his  own  body,  he  was  ready  to  write,  as 
he  did,  that  he  saw  no  reason  why  the  bodies  should  not  come 
together ;  he  was  candid  in  declaring  that  he  did  hold  the  New 
School  theology,  in  regard  particularly  to  the  extent  of  the 
atonement,  but  he  expressed  the  judgment  that  it  would  be 
impracticable  and  improper  for  him,  under  the  circumstances, 
to  try  to  prevent  union.  These  and  kindred  facts  ^'^  Dr.  Dabney 
could  not  use  in  debate. 

Though  he  could  not  use  these  reasons  in  debate,  the  union, 
as  has  already  appeared,  was  effected.  That  it  was  a  wise 
movement,  cannot  be  doubted.  With  the  death  of  Dr.  Boyd, 
only  two  exponents  of  the  New  School  doctrines  remained. 
The  Presbytery  of  one  of  these  brethren  found  it  necessary  to 
say  "Don't"  to  him  on  one  occasion.  He  heeded,  and  no  trouble 
cOTie.  The  other  man's  semi-Pelagianism  was  of  the  heart, 
and  was  also  controlled.  The  two  bodies,  with  these  excep- 
tions, were  one  doctrinally,  and,  covering  the  same  territory, 
ought  to  have  united. 

In  July,  1864,  his  indignation  at  certain  wrongs  perpetrated 
against  his  countrymen,  and  his  sense  of  the  supineness  of  the 
action  of  the  Confederate  Government,  inspired  two  letters  for 
the  Richmond  Examiner.  These  letters  would  be  worthy  of  a 
place  here,  as  showing  his  attention  to  several  problems  which 
vexed  the  public  men  of  the  time,  were  they  not  so  intense. 

One  of  them  reads,  in  part,  as  follows : 

"It   is   stated   that   General   declared,   on   his   late   expedition 

up  the  Danville  railroad,  that  he  had  nowhere  seen  a  people  so  tame 
and  subjugated  as  those  in  that  district.  He  said  that  they  would 
neither  assist  him  nor  defend  their  own  homes  and  property. 

"The  apathy  of  our  people  cannot  be  justified;  for  a  brave  man, 
whatever  the  fatnl  disadvantages  might  be,  under  which  the  blunders 
of  his  government  laid  him,  would  rather  fight  under  them,  with  a 
generous  disdain  of  living  as  the  unresisting  victim  of  such  oppressions. 


I 


"  The  plan  of  union  carried  with  it  the  giving  of  the  endowment 
of  the  proposed  Seminary  at  Charlottesville,  Va.,  to  Hampden-Sidney 
College,  and  the  Marysville  College,  in  Tennessee,  to  the  Synod  of 
Nashville.     It  gave  Old  School  men  everywhere  control  of  education. 


In  the  War-Time.  289 

But  theii"  conduct  ought  to  be  largely  excused ;  and  it  may  be  shown 
that  the  chief  blame  rests,  not  upon  them,  but  their  rulers. 

"First,  our  home  population  are  left  without  arms,  ammunition  and 
organization.  Their  own  State  has  made  them  powerless.  The  House 
of  Delegates,  although  twice  called  together,  and  solemnly  urged  to 
this,  have  refused  to  enable  the  people  to  resist,  and  left  them  helpless 
before  their  enemies,  assigning  this  reason,  that  if  a  law  was  passed 
to  arm  them,  the  quixotic  ambition  of  our  Governor  would  call  them 
all  into  the  field.  As  though  the  Governor  was  not,  more  than  them- 
selves, the  representative  of  the  will  of  the  people !  Events  have  shown 
whether  our  Governor's  apprehension  of  the  dangers  and  necessities 
of  the  times  were  a  fantastic  notion  or  a  just  and  sober  foresight. 

"Second.  Our  home  population  are  aware  that  the  policy  of  the 
Confederate  Government  leaves  them  improtected  in  every  attempt  to 
defend  their  own  homes  even  from  the  most  ruthless  outrages.  If 
overpowered  in  the  performance  of  these  duties,  the  enemy  will  treat 
them  as  outlaws  and  murderers,  and  the  Confederate  Government  will 

surely  acquiesce  therein.     General  condemns  the  people  of  the 

Southside  because  they  did  not  join  him  as  scouts  and  skirmishers; 
and  yet  they  knew  that  if  they  aided  him  in  these  capacities,  and  were 
captured,  the  government  w^hose  commission  be  bears  will  decline  to 
move  one  joint  of  its  little  finger  to  avenge  them  when  they  are  mur- 
dered in  cold  blood  as  'bushwhackers.'  They  know  that  at  this  very 
time  the  best,  truest  and  noblest  of  the  home  people  in  the  Valley 
are  hunted  like  wolves  on  their  own  mountains,  for  the  generous  attempt 
to  serve  the  Confederate  Government  in  just  these  modes,  and  there 

is  no  vengeance,  no  defence.     When  General  %hts,  he  has  the 

shield  of  the  government  over  his  head ;  when  he  is  captured,  that 
government  protects  him  in  his  prison  with  all  its  power,  and  with  the 
whole  force  of  retaliatory  threats.  But  our  home  people  know  that 
when  they  fight,  they  do  it  with  a  halter  around  their  necks,  and  wherf 
they  are  captured,  will  be  butchered  like  dogs,  without  defence  or 
retaliation.  Is  this  thought  likely  to  encourage  the  patriotism  of  a 
people?  Yet,  in  spite  of  this  shameful  desertion  of  their  own  govern- 
ment, many  of  these  men  did  rally,  half  armed,  one-quarter  armed, 
without  ammunition,  without  legalized  leaders,  and  harass  the  flanks 
of  the  enemy. 

"But  third.  It  must  be  confessed  that  many  of  the  people  at  home 
did  display  a  reprehensible  apathy  and  timidity.  Yet  the  people  of  Vir- 
ginia were  once  a  gallant  people !  Are  not  these  cowering  fugitives  of 
the  same  breed  and  blood  with  the  brave  soldiers  of  the  Confederate 
armies?  Whence  the  diflference?  The  answer  reveals  a  danger  created 
by  the  feeble  policy  of  our  rulers,  more  appalling  than  all  the  devasta- 
tions of  these  raids,  and  the  outrages  of  the  brutes  who  make  them. 
The  spirit  of  the  people  is  toned  dozvn.  the  very  capacity  for  a  generous 
moral    indignation    is    exhausted,    by   the    long   experience   of   outrages 

19 


290        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

unavenged.  When  man's  sensibilities  are  thus  excited,  if  he  is  per- 
mitted to  react,  if  resentment  and  resistance  have  their  legitimate  active 
play,  the  sentiments  continue  manly  and  heroic;  but  if  the  assaults  are 
repeated  and  increased  in  enormity,  and  no  successful  reaction  is  as- 
signed to  the  sufferer,  no  just  vengeance  is  tasted,  the  suffering  cowes 
the  spirits  which  it  first  inflamed.  Just  indignation  and  active  resent- 
ment give  place  to  helpless  terror.  The  enervated  victim,  instead  of 
fighting  the  successful  wrong-doer,  feels  towards  him  as  he  does  towards 
a  hail-storm  or  thunderbolt.  This  fearful  process  is  now  rapidly  pro- 
gressing in  the  spirits  of  the  people.  The  government,  by  its  non- 
retaliatory  and  defensive  system,  is  permitting  the  person  at  Washington 
to  educate  the  Southern  people  into  Oriental  slaves.  A  little  more  such 
suffering  unavenged,  and  their  hearts,  once  so  heroic,  will  be  tamed  for 
the  yoke.  The  only  remedy  is  to  give  the  people  just  vengeance.  They 
must  be  permitted  and  encouraged  to  react  against  their  aggressors, 
with  an  active  resistance  as  fiery  and  intense  as  their  wrongs  are  aggra- 
vated. 

O  for  one  year  of  rulers  who  should  be  statesmen,  and  not  merely 
politicians ;  who  comprehended  the  springs  of  human  nature,  and  not 
merely  the  springs  of  a  gun-lock;  who  knew  not  only  the  red-tape  of  a 
military  bureau,  but  the  red  blood  in  the  hearts  of  a  smothering,  gasping 
nation  !  South  Side."  " 

The  session  of  1864-1865  was  one  with  next  to  no  students. 
Dr.  Dabney  felt  impelled  to  serve  as  a  missionary  in  the  army 
during  several  of  these  months.  He  had  to  take  measures 
involving  much  trouble,  also,  as  well  as  outlay,  for  bread  and 
meat  for  his  family.  The  following  brief  letter,  written  at  the 
time,  is  eloquent  of  his  consecration  to  his  ministry  to  the 
soldiers,  and  of  his  own  and  his  country's  need : 

"Newmarket,  December  12,  1864. 

"My  Dear  Friend:  Your  letter  reached  me  Saturday,  and  I  have  at 
once  procured  from  the  Adjutant  of  General  Early  the  accompanying 
'protection,'  which  I  hope  will  be  sufficient. 

"I  came  to  the  army  week  before  last,  to  assist  the  chaplains  for  a 
while,  in  preaching  to  the  soldiers.  For  five  or  six  days  I  had  quite  a 
good  opportunity,  and  preached  every  day;  but  this  change  of  weather, 
and  the  snow,  has  stopped  my  operations.  Yesterday  I  was  able  to 
preach  to  a  very  small  congregation  in  the  Methodist  Church,  in  New- 
market.    None  of  the  troops  are  within  two  miles.    Unless  the  weather 

"  This  letter  bears  no  date,  but  seems  to  have  been  written  in  July. 
1864.  We  have  not  ascertained  whether  these  letters  were  actually  pub- 
lished in  the  Examiner.  Though  search  was  made  through  the  issues 
of  July  and  August,  1864,  they  were  not  found. 


In  the  War-Time.  291 

changes  greatly,  I  shall  have  to  return  home  (where  I  long  to  be  to  see 
after  my  poor  little  ones).  You  need  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  if  I 
am  at  Tinkling  Spring  next  Sunday. 

"Mrs.  Dabney  writes  me  word  that  all  prospect  of  laying  in  any  sup- 
ply of  meat  for  next  year  (even  at  the  high  prices)  is  impossible  in  our 
region.  She  asked  me  to  make  some  effort  in  our  old  neighborhood  to 
get  a  little  pork.  My  plan  was  to  have  it  salted  down,  or  even  cured,  if 
we  could  not  get  it  home  earlier,  where  it  was  killed.  On  my  road  up,  I 
saw  Mr.  Martin  Coiner,  who  told  me  he  could  spare  about  three  hundred 
pounds,  if  the  army  men  did  not  get  after  him  and  impress  it,  at  ten 
dollars  per  hundred  in  specie.  I  have  no  specie,  but  I  suppose  that  after 
some  little  delay  I  might  buy  some  in  Richmond.  If  you  have  it  in  your 
power  to  speak  to  Mr.  Coiner,  or  any  one  else,  to  secure  me  a  little,  I 
would  be  much  obliged  to  you.     It  is  but  little  I  can  afford  to  buy. 

"Remember  me  affectionately  to  Mrs.  Guthrie.  I  hope  Brown  Pat- 
terson is  well. 

"Affectionately  your  friend,  R.  L.  Dabney.'*' 

"H.  G.  Guthrie,  Esq. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1865,  he  writes  from  Hampden- 
Sidney,  whither  he  had  gone  back: 

"The  children  are  very  stout  and  hearty,  and  are  busy  at  their  books. 
I  have  been  doing  my  best  to  get  them  shod,  and  make  the  other  prepa- 
rations for  their  comfort,  in  view  of  another  trip  to  the  army  preaching. 
I  shall  go  this  time  to  Petersburg,  and  probably  lodge  in  town  mostly, 
as  the  soldiers  are  close  about  it." 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  he  is  found  preaching  in  Tabb  Street 
Church,  in  Petersburg,  while  back  at  Hampden  Sidney  his  hos- 
pitable home  shelters  wounded  and  broken-down  soldiers.  Mr. 
S.  B.  Dabney  says : 

"My  childish  recollections  of  the  close  of  the  war  include  associations 
with  wounded  soldiers  whom  father  sent  from  the  hospital  to  live  with 
us,  and  to  enjoy  the  country  air,  and  be  free  from  infection.  These 
men  were  usually,  I  believe,  from  the  South,  they  assisted  mother  as 
they  could,  and  were  uniformly  courteous  and  kind,  thankfully  sharing 
with  us  our  poor  food.  One  had  been  shot  through  the  mouth,  and  was 
unable  to  eat  solids.  I  remember  his  taking  us  boys  on  a  cherry  picking 
■expedition  for  mother.  Another  had  been  shot  through  the  leg,  and 
■went  on  crutches ;  but  he  still  managed  to  take  us  bathing,  and  taught 
us  how  to  snare  'old  hares.'  I  remember  that  they  would  lie  on  their 
blankets  under  the  big  trees  by  father's  study  window.  I  suspect  that 
they  tried  to  repay  father  and  mother  by  acting  as  day  nurses  for  us 
little  fellows." 


292        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

He  came  away  from  Petersburg  with  the  retreating  army; 
hid  himself  in  Buckingham,  after  Appomattox,  to  escape  being 
carried  off  to  a  Northern  prison.  When  he  came  back  to 
Hampden-Sidney,  he  found  his  wife  and  children  safe,  but  his 
home  pillaged. 

The  fall  of  the  Confederacy  was  epochal  in  Dr.  Dabney's  life. 
Under  the  old  order  he  had  grown  up ;  by  it  he  had  been,  as  a 
most  impressible  personality,  mightily  moulded.  He  loved  its 
activities,  habits  and  modes  of  thought.  Under  it  he  had 
already  won  a  large  and  noble  success  in  life.  He  was  pas- 
sionately attached  to  it,  for  the  truth  and  justice  and  benevo- 
lence which,  he  believed,  underlay  and  informed  it  all.  The 
"order"  which  succeeded  in  the  Black  Belt  in  Virginia,  in  1865, 
and  on  into  the  seventies,  he  loathed  with  all  the  strength  of  an 
honest  man  whose  very  life  it  was  to  love  the  good  and  hate 
the  wrong,  as  he  saw  it.  To  be  governed  and  to  know  that  his 
beloved  country  was  governed  by  aliens,  was  as  the  bitterness 
of  death.  To  be  governed  by  the  semi-civilized  freedmen, 
which  his  prophetic  soul  saw  was  to  follow  on  the  cessation 
of  the  government  by  the  army  of  invaders,  was  worse.  And 
he  exhorted  his  friends,  sanguine  of  better  things,  to  hold  on 
to  the  military  rule  as  long  as  possible.  To  suffer  all  the  horrors 
of  reconstruction,  and  he  looked  for  such  a  destruction  from 
the  day  of  the  surrender,  was  almost  maddening.  Nor  could 
he  forget  at  what  awful  cost  this  change  had  been  brought 
about.  The  most  valued  and  distinguished  of  his  near-by 
friends  and  neighbors,  such  as  Col.  John  T.  Thornton,  Mr. 
Samuel  C.  Anderson  and  Abram  C.  Venable,  Esq.,  had  fallen 
as  victims.  The  M^hole  South  had  suffered  in  like  manner.  Nor 
could  he  shut  his  eyes  to  social  and  physical  consequences  of 
the  political  revolution.  The  returned  soldiers  would  be  rest- 
less, inclined  to  emigrate ;  the  white  population,  in  many  quar- 
ters, cowed  utterly,  afraid  of  the  grown  up  black  children  let 
loose,  the  prey  of  the  crews  of  native  "scallawags"  and  imported 
carpet-baggers,  who  would  come  to  filch  away  the  small  rem- 
nants of  wealth  yet  remaining  in  the  hands  of  a  poor  and  ex- 
hausted people.  Universal  suffrage,  which  he  had  always  hated 
and  fought,  is  coming,  he  sees.  And  slaves,  of  an  inferior  race, 
under  the  leadership  of  the  vilest  men,  are  to  have  the  power 
of  voting,  till,  in  the  words  of  another  strong  man,  "that  dirty 
chimney  shall  be  burnt  out."  The  seats  of  power  once  graced 
by  Virginia's  noblest  sons  are  to  be  trampled  through  by  these. 


Ix  THE  War-Time.  293 

They  are  to  dispense  justice !  In  this  hour  of  awful  stress  some 
of  Virginia's  sons  will  go  over  to  the  oppressors.  If  Virginia 
is  ever  redeemed,  will  not  her  better  sons  have  learned  political 
indirection  in  the  meantime  ?  He  cannot  be  indirect.  Shall  this 
herd  of  Gadarene  swine  trample  him  in  the  mire,  and  his  coun- 
try ?  Such  visions  and  questions  he  carried  with  him  night  and 
day  at  this  time.  Long  afterwards,  in  happier  days,  he  poured 
forth,  in  rough  but  vigorous  verse,  the  feelings  which  were 
now  burnt  into  his  prophetic  soul  by  the  present  and  impending 
degradation  of  his  country : 

"  How  conquerors,  ruthless  in  their  pride  of  power 
Should  trample  thy  fair  neck,  whose  queenly  foot 
Found  rightful  place  upon  the  oppressor's  head ; 
Cunning  and  malice  rule  the  dismal  hour 
Of  thine  eclipse,  and  fraud  and  force  uproot 
Each  right  implanted  by  thy  fathers  dead ! 
How  doltish  serfs  and  alien  thieves  should  foul  : 

Thy  seats  of  power  once  by  the  sages  graced, 
While  all  thy  noblest,  fairest,  wisest  rank, 
In  want  obscure,  hounded  by  slanderous  howl, 
And  worst,  how  some  thy  sons  whom  thou  hadst  placed 
'Neath  thy  free  banner,  in  the  honored  rank 
Of  thy  defenders,  wooed  by  filthy  greed. 
Should  aid,  oh !  shame,  their  mother's  chain  to  draw. 


Yea,  woeful  mother,  weep!    there  is  no  herb,  rue,  nor  balsam, 

that  can  buy 
Health  for  thy  deadly  hurt." 

The  years  succeeding  the  war  were  awful  ones  in  the  Black 
Belt.  One  who  has  never  lived  in  such  a  region  can  hardly 
conceive  it.  The  roads  were  full  of  vagrant  negroes,  and  the 
court-greens,  where  Randolph  and  Henry  had  addressed  audi- 
ences of  freeholders,  now  resounded  with  the  empty  babble  of 
negroes  and  the  base  harangues  of  their  leaders,  hoimding 
them  on  against  the  whites.  "Universal  change  and  unrest  were 
the  order  of  the  day.  The  bottom  rail  was  on  top,  while  'old 
master'  stumbled  over  the  clods,  and  his  soldier  son  drove 
broken-down  army  horses  to  the  plow,  and  planned  emigration 
and  how  to  take  care  of  the  old  folks.  Friction  between  the 
races  was  universal."  There  was  no  furious  retaliatory  violence 
in  Virginia,  as  further  South ;  the  people  were  more  quiet,  but 
the  irritation  was  not  less  deep.  It  could  not  have  been  other- 
wise.    Thievery  and  disregard  of  property  rights  were  ever 


294        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

provoking  it;  fences  were  burned,  corn-houses  broken  open, 
the  very  gardens  and  sweet  potato  patches  were  appropriated 
by  the  new  sovereigns,  by  night.  As  the  former  masters  had 
not  yet  learned  to  withhold  tfie  whip  from  the  back  of  an  im- 
pudent negro,  they  were  constantly  being  dragged  before  the 
courts.  The  negroes  were  leaving  the  white  churches,  of  which 
they  had  been  members,  and  setting  up  their  own  churches, 
which  were  often  sad  travesties  on  the  gospel  idea  of  a  church. 
Along  with  this  moral  decay,  the  country  suffered,  in  conse- 
quence, physical  decay.  Fences  were  rotting,  buildings  of  all 
sorts  rotting  down  for  want  of  paint,  often  being  burned  by  the 
hand  of  the  careless  or  of  the  incendiary.  The  artificial  drain- 
age of  the  bottom  lands  could  not  be  kept  clear ;  the  little  live 
stock  of  the  country,  already  deteriorated  in  the  years  of  the 
war,  suffering  further  deterioration.  All  this  was  clear  to 
Dabney 's  mind  on  the  day  of  surrender.  He  was  a  man  who 
had  to  see,  and  had  to  feel  as  he  saw.  It  was  a  critical  and 
terrible  time  for  him.  We  shall  see  him  much  tempted  to  leave 
the  country,  but  held  here  by  duty — duty  to  his  old  mother, 
who  had  by  issue  of  war  been  reduced  from  comparative  afflu- 
ence to  the  narrow  edge  of  poverty ;  duty  to  his  friends,  to  his 
church,  and  to  God.  He  knew  that  the  hand  of  God  was  in  the 
history  of  his  times  as  in  that  of  all  times ;  but  he  knew,  also, 
that  God's  agents  in  history  have  often  been  most  unworthy ; 
that  he  maketh  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him,  and  bringeth 
good  out  of  evil.  He  thought  of  the  invaders  of  the  South  as 
he  had  always  thought  of  them ;  he  thought  of  her  subjugators 
and  new  sovereigns  according  to  the  truth.  Henceforth,  for 
long  years,  he  is  to  be  a  grimmer  man,  with  less  in  the  world 
to  love.    The  iron  had  entered  his  soul. 

There  is  no  measuring  his  sense  of  chagrin  and  indignation, 
degradation  and  woe,  at  the  issue.  His  spirit  was  unconquer- 
able. He  believed  that  infidelity,  usurpation  and  oppression 
had  triumphed.  Hardly  a  month  had  passed,  however,  before 
he  began  to  seek  how  he  might  vindicate  the  honor  of  the  South 
further  before  the  bar  of  reason,  and  to  acquit  himself  as  a  hus- 
band, a  father,  and  a  man  of  God.  This  new  beginning  ex- 
pressed itself  in  the  following  letter : 

"Union  Theological  Semin.\ry,  Va.,  May  19.  1865. 
"My  Dear  Friend:    Watchman,  what  of  the  night?     Will  the  Yan- 
kees permit  Sterling  &  Campbell  to  publish  the  Life  of  Jackson  ungar- 
bled?    or  persecute  author  or  publisher  for  its  plain  speaking? 


In  the  War-Time.  295 

"Can  you  inform  me  about  the  proposal  of  amnesty  made  by  our 
new  rulers?  Who  are  permitted  to  receive  it?  On  what  terms?  How 
far  does  it  extend;  whether  to  protection  of  property  from  confisca- 
tion, and  of  all  species  of  property?  Chiefest:  is  it  candid,  truthful 
and  honest  for  a  Virginian,  who  submits  to  Yankee  rule  only  as  a 
necessity,  to  be  endured  no  longer  than  he  can  help,  to  accept  it  on 
such  terms  as  they  offer? 

"Can  you  find  out,  without  mentioning  names,  on  what  terms  the 
new  masters  would  permit  a  Confederate  to  leave  the  country,  with 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  permanent  home  for  himself  and  earning  a 
living  for  his  family,  in  some  country  whose  government  was  less  dis- 
tasteful to  him  than  theirs?  Let  him  be  a  Confederate  who  had,  at 
the  close  of  the  war,  no  connection,  official,  with  General  or  State 
government  or  army  of  the  Confederacy,  and  never  had  any  with  the 
United  States — a  citizen  merely.  How  much  plundering,  stealing,  con- 
fiscation, secret  espionage,  baggage-searching,  oath-swearing,  etc.,  would 
they  exact  in  such  a  case? 

"All  the  above  is  confidential. 

"I  learned  with  pleasure  of  Colonel  Lamar's  safety.  If  he  is  still 
with  you,  awaiting  the  clearing  away  of  the  fog,  I  should  greatly  rejoice 
to  have  him  spend  some  time  with  me.     Say  so  to  him. 

"You  will  be  better  able  than  I  to  surmise  the  fate  of  the  Seminary 
endowment.  Present  income  is  out  of  the  question.  The  alternatives 
are  to  disband  the  Faculty  for  the  time,  or  keep  afloat  one  year  by  an 
assessment  on  the  churches.  The  latter,  I  surmise,  the  churches  will 
not  do. 

"Meantime,  I  must  work  or  starve.  I  would  greatly  prefer  to  labor 
in  the  gospel  rather  than  in  the  corn-field,  if  God  and  the  church  will 
let  me.    My  private  income,  small  before,  is  now  at  an  end. 

"Communicate  your  views  on  church  and  Seminary  matters.     Did 

you  see  Stuart  Robinson's  letter  to  Dr.  Brown?    Is  not  he  a ? 

"Truly  yours, 

"R.  L.  Dabney. 

"Rev.  Dr.  Hoge." 


NOTE. 

Dr.  Dabney  published,  in  the  Central  Presbyterian  of  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1863,  the  following  poem,  written  some  time  after  the 
death  of  his  little  "Tom."  As  thoroughly  characteristic,  and 
excellent  in  style  and  taste,  it  deserves  reproduction  here: 

TrieDj  but  Comforted. 

Five  summers  bright  our  noble  boy 
Was  lent  us  for  our  household  joy; 
Then  came  the  fated,  wintry  hour 
Of  death,  and  blighted  our  sweet  flower. 

They  told  me,  "Weep  not,  for  thy  gem 

Is  fixed  in  Christ's  own  diadem ; 

His  speedy  feet  the  race  have  run. 

The  foe  have  'scaped,  the  goal  have  won." 

I  chode  the  murmurs  of  my  breast 

With  this  dear  thought ;  and  then  addressed 

My  steps  to  wait  upon  the  Lord 

And  with  his  saints  to  hear  his  Word. 

Then,  thus  I  heard  their  anthem  flow : 
"Praise  him,  all  creatures  here  below ; 
Praise  him  above,  ye  heavenly  host ; 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

But  how,  I  said,  can  this  sad  heart, 
In  joyful  praises  bear  its  part? 
It  hath  no  joy;  it  naught  can  do 
But  mourn  its  loss  and  tell  its  woe. 

And  then  I  thought.  What  if  thy  lost 
Is  now  among  that  heavenly  host. 
And  with  the  angel  choir  doth  sing, 
"Glory  to  thee.  Eternal  King?" 

But  is  not  this  a  hope  too  sweet? 
Faith  is  too  weak  the  joy  to  meet; 
Oh!    might  my  bursting  heart  but  see 
If  true  the  blissful  thought  can  be! 


In  the  War-Time.  297 

Oh !    that  for  once  mine  ear  might  hear 
That  tiny  voice,  so  high,  so  clear. 
Singing  Emmanuel's  name  among 
Those  louder  strains,  that  mightier  throng. 

Oh !    that  but  once  mine  eyes  could  see 
That  smile  which  here  was  wont  to  be 
The  sunshine  of  my  heart,  made  bright 
With  Jesus'  love,  with  Heaven's  light. 

Then  would  my  burdened  heart,  I  know, 
With  none  but  tears  of  joy  o'erflow — 
But  ah !   when  faith  would  strain  her  eyes 
For  that  blest  vision,  there  arise 

The  shadows  of  my  deary  home ; 
'Twixt  Heaven  and  my  heart  there  come 
That  dying  bed,  that  corpse,  that  bier ; 
And  when  I  strive  that  song  to  hear, 

Sad  memory  echoes  but  the  wail 
My  love  to  soothe  could  naught  avail ; 
I  only  hear  his  anguished  cry, 
I  only  see  his  glazing  eye. 

But  yet  be  still,  tumultuous  heart. 
And  bravely  bear  thy  destined  part, 
Yet  will  I  say,  stay  there,  my  son ; 
And  to  my  Lord,  Thy  will  be  done. 

'Tis  not  for  sight  and  sense  to  know 
Those  scenes  of  glory  here  below ; 
But  be  it  ours  to  walk  by  faith. 
And  credit  what  our  Saviour  saith. 

Let  patience  work  till  we  be  meet 
To  dwell  in  bliss  at  Jesus'  feet; 
Then  death,  once  dreaded,  friendly  come, 
And  bear  us  to  our  lost  one's  home. 

Then  shall  that  glorious  hour  repay 
The  woes  of  all  that  dreary  way, 
And  I  shall  hear  forever  more 
My  seraph  boy  his  God  adore. 

Yea,  he  shall  teach  this  voice  to  raise, 
As  angels  taught  him,  Heaven's  lays ; 
And  I,  who  once  his  steps  did  lead. 
Shall  follow  him  to  Christ,  our  Head. 


298        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Within  the  next  year  he  published,  also,  a  funeral  sermon  commemo- 
rative of  the  death  of  Lieut.  Abram  C.  Carrington,  in  the  Central  Pres- 
byterian; a  similar  sermon  commemorative  of  Gen.  T.  J.  Jackson,  which 
had  been  preached  by  request  in  the  First  Church,  Richmond,  in  a 
pamphlet ;  and  a  memorial  of  Lieut.-Col.  John  T.  Thornton,  in  a  tract 
form  by  the  Presbyterian  Publishing  Committee.  Of  these,  the  works 
on  Jackson  and  Colonel  Thornton  were  particularly  fine. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PERIOD  OF  DESIRE  TO  EMIGRATE. 
(May,  1865— May,  1869.) 

A  New  Start  in  Life. — The  State  of  the  Country  during  this 
Period.  —  Dr.  Dabney's  Fears  for  the  Future  of  State  and 
Church. — His  Desire  to  Emigrate,  and  Agitation  of  the  Sub- 
ject.— Hence,  his  Girl-School. — Prospects  of  the  Seminary  at 
THE  Beginning  of  this  Period. — Plans  for  the  Conduct  of  the 
Session  i865-'66.  —  Improved  Condition  of  the  Seminary  after 
1866.  —  Deterioration  of  its  Environment.  —  Dr.  Dabnev's 
Thought  of  Leaving  the  Seminary  for  a  Pastorate. — Severe 
Labors  for  the  Institution,  Nevertheless. — His  Labors  as  Pas- 
tor in  the  College  Church.  —  His  Literary  Labors  in  this 
Period,  and  Ecclesiastical  Services. — Quits  Keeping  House  in 
1866. — The  Stay  of  his  Mother's  Family  and  many  Others. — 
His  Care  for  his  Mother. — The  Iron  in  his  Soul. — Too  Hope- 
less of  his  Country  and  Church. — Great  Exponent  of  the  Old 
South  of  the  Period. — Saved  by  the  Grace  of  God  and  his  own 
Simple  and  Great  Manhood  for  Further  Service. 

DR.  DABNEY  had  served  the  Confederacy  with  all  his 
might,  with  his  purse  as  well  as  with  his  pen  and  sword. 
He  had  put  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  his  farm  near  Tinklint:^ 
Spring  into  Confederate  bonds.  Mrs.  Dabney  had  disposed  of 
her  gold  watch  and  other  valuables  with  patriotic  intent  of 
similar  character.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  they  had  to  show 
for  their  property  these  bonds  and  some  bank-stock,  then  "only 
fit  for  thumb-papers  or  lamp-lighters."  His  six  slaves,  along 
with  his  mother's  twenty-seven,  and  the  millions  of  his  com- 
patriots', had  been  given  their  freedom.  He  did  have,  however, 
somewhere  in  Alabama,  twenty  bales  of  cotton,  for  which  he 
was  to  get  a  small  sum.  In  addition,  he  had  left  him  his  car- 
riage-hoises  and  two  cows.  His  family,  like  most  others  in 
Virginia,  in  those  awful  later  months  of  the  war,  had  for  some 
time  been  subsisting  on  coarse  food.  One  of  his  sons,  l)orn 
in  1859,  says  that  for  some  years  in  his  early  boyhood  he 
thought  of  cake  as  necessarily  dark.  His  mother  had,  indeed, 
a  little  granulated  sugar;    but  she  kept  it  for  state  occasions 


300        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

and  for  the  sick;  the  sweetening  which  her  children,  servants 
and  the  family  generally  enjoyed  was  with  sorghum  molasses. 
So  that  this  little  fellow's  impression  of  cake  was  of  something 
always  colored  by  sorghum.  His  knowledge  of  coffee  was 
equally  defective.  But  Dr.  Dabney's  energies  had  always  kept 
his  family  in  plenty  of  wholesome  food.  He  could  write  to  his 
mother  on  the  i8th  of  June,  1865,  "I  now  write  to  let  you  know 
that  we  are  well,  and  getting  on  somchoiv,  on  bread  and  milk, 
well  enough  as  far  as  that  goes." 

As  there  appeared  no  prospect  of  current  salary  as  professor 
in  the  Seminary,  he  had  rented  some  land,  in  April,  from  his 
neighbor,  Mr.  Worsham.  Upon  this  and  his  own  little  fields 
he  pitched  a  large  crop  of  corn,  and  raised  a  good  garden.  With 
the  aid  of  two  negroes — a  man  and  a  woman — he  cultivated  his 
corn  himself;^  and  he  performed  this  manual  labor  under  a 
sense  of  national  calamity,  oppression  and  degradation,  which 
few  men  were  capable  of  feeling.  He  foresaw  all  the  horrors 
of  reconstruction  from  the  start,  as  we  have  seen. 

The  people  of  the  South,  and  especially  the  people  of  Vir- 
ginia, thought  that  they  had  been  Idft  more  peeled  than  any 
people  ever  were  at  the  close  of  the  war,  "without  slaves,  with- 
out money,  without  fences,  with  little  live  stock,  little  corn  and 
no  meat;"  but  they  found  out,  by  1870,  that  the  tyranny  of 
reconstruction  could  make  them  far  poorer  than  the  most  sweep- 
ing war-time  plundering.  For  some  time  after  the  surrender 
at  Appomattox,  Virginia  was  under  Federal  military  control  as 
"District  No.  i"  ;  but  on  December  3, 1867,  a  convention,  elected 
by  "the  people,"  under  an  act  of  the  United  States  Congress,  met 
and  framed  a  new  Constitution,  which  prohibited  slavery,  and 
accepted  the  results  of  the  war.  This  Constitution  was  ratified 
by  a  "popular  vote"  on  July  6,  1869,  at  which  time  members 
of  a  General  Assembly  and  State  officers  w-ere  also  elected.  The 
Governor  chosen  was  inaugurated  September  29,  1869;  on  the 
5th  of  October  the  General  Assembly  met  and  ratified  the  four- 
teenth and  fifteenth  amendments  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.  On  the  26th  of  January,  1870,  Virginia  was 
readmitted  to  representation  in  Congress,  and  released  from 
military  control.     This  period  was  necessary  to  open  the  eyes 


^  There  is  some  ground  for  thinking  that  Mr.  Edward  Lane,  after- 
wards the  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  Lane,  missionary  to  Brazil,  helped  him  in 
the  cultivation  of  this  crop. 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  301 

of  many  "Virginians  to  the  fullness  of  the  calamity  and  disaster 
with  which  the  issue  of  the  war  was  freighted.  It  was  more 
oppressive  to  the  very  soul  of  no  man  than  to  that  of  the  pro- 
fessor, pastor,  farmer,  at  Hampden-Sidney,  who  had  so  stoutly 
opposed  the  war  before  its  coming,  and  so  valiantly  fought  in  it 
against  the  oppressors  of  his  country  once  it  had  come.  He 
writes  of  the  conditions  to  his  friend,  Dr.  M.  D.  Hoge,  on  the 
2nd  of  January,  1867  • 

"I  see  all  my  anticipations  more  rapidly  verified  than  I  expected; 
and  especially  the  worst  of  them,  the  emasculation  of  the  spirit  and 
honor  of  our  people.  In  submitting  to  final  defeat,  they  did  what  the 
South  of  1861  had  pronounced  absolutely  impossible.  In  submitting  to 
Yankee  and  negro  domination  in  1867,  they  did  what  even  the  beaten 
South  of  1865  loudly  pronounced  impossible  and  less  tolerable  than 
imiversal  annihilation;  and  I  fear  there  is  nothing  to  vvhich  they  will 
not  ultimately  submit,  until  we  become  as  many-colored  and  as  mean 
as  the  Mexicans. 

"I  have  one  advantage,  amidst  present  monstrosities  and  outrages, 
over  the  people  around  me,  that  I  am  not  taken  by  surprise.  I  knew 
that  people  who  relied  on  free  negro  labor  would  all  break;  I  knew 
that  negro  suflfrage  was  coming;  I  knew  that  the  exhaustion  of  1865 
was  actual  riches  and  abundance  compared  with  that  of  later  years; 
I  knew  that  Southern  property  would  become  absolutely  unsalable,  and 
the  people  utterly  miserable  and  poor.  But  others  did  not  think  so; 
they  thought  that  the  defeated  condition  was  not  so  very  intolerable 
after  all— 1.  c,  that  the  cause  in  which  our  martyr  patriots  died  was 
not  at  all  an  essential  one,  and  that  our  convictions  of  1861  were  simply 
pet,  and  not  common-sense,  and  not  principle,  etc.  They  are  disap- 
pointed :   I  am  not." 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1868.  he  writes  to  the  Rev.  A.  C. 
Hopkins : 

"The  people  hereabouts  are  dreadfully  doleful  at  the  prospects  of 
negro  rule.  As  for  me,  I  am  in  the  happy  category  of  the  Irishman's 
addition  to  Matthew  v.:  'Blessed  are  they  that  have  expected  nothing; 
for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  they  are  not  disappointed.'  I  always  knew 
what  was  coming,  and  am  not  the  least  surprised.  The  devil  is  appa- 
rently triumphant." 

On  the  23rd  of  January,  1869,  he  writes  to  Dr.  Hoge  again : 

"I  have  asked  myself  very  inquisitively.  Are  we  really  escaping  a 
smgle  one  of  those  horrors  which  far-seeing  Southern  patriots  deline- 
ated  as   the   probable   or   possible   fruits   of   Northern   ascendency   and 


302         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

forcible  abolition;  the  anticipation  of  which  made  us  all  feel,  in  i860, 
that,  really  and  literally,  death  was  better  than  submission?  For  the 
life  of  us,  I  don't  see  a  single  point  in  which  the  prophecy  fails.  People 
say.  But  it  is  not  so  bad  as  we  fancied.  The  only  difference  I  can 
see  is,  that  we  did  not  realize  then  how  rapidly  we  should  be  degraded 
to  the  level  of  our  oppressions.  That  is  all !  Not  very  consoling,  that, 
to  my  mind." 

His  section  of  Virginia  was  particularly  affected  by  the 
results  of  the  war.  His  opinions  were  not,  however,  formed 
on  the  basis  of  what  was  going  on  in  a  narrow  area.  He  saw 
that  the  South's  civic  virtue  was  in  danger  of  being  fatally 
weakened,  and  even  destroyed.  The  political  indirection  coming 
into  vogue  in  many  States,  which  he  regarded  as  "Yankeeism," 
he  abhorred  from  the  depths  of  a  soul  intensely  honest.  For 
the  better  people  in  the  South  to  come  into  power  by  stuffing 
ballot-boxes,  and  counting  in  their  candidates,  was  to  become 
"Yankeeized,"  to  become  subject  in  spirit  to  the  spirit  of  "New 
England."  This  was  intolerable.  It  was  only  better  than 
bestial  negro  rule.  He  had  little  hope  with  regard  to  State  or 
church,  as  the  following,  amongst  many  other  letters  of  the 
period,  shows : 

"Union  Theological  Seminary,  February  15,  1868. 
"My  Dear  Mother  :  This  is  the  afternoon  of  the  Sabbath  day,  but  I 
do  not  think  I  can  spend  it  in  a  better  way  than  writing  to  you.  It  is 
the  first  hour  of  really  mild  and  pleasant  weather,  which  we  have  had 
for  many  weeks.  The  air  is  pleasant,  and  the  sun  is  shining  cheerfully; 
but  to  me  everything  looks  as  gloomy  as  if  it  were  clothed  in  the  pall 
of  death.  The  past  disasters  and  murders  which  our  people  have  suf- 
fered, and  the  present  oppressions,  with  worse  prospects  in  the  future, 
fill  me  with  melancholy,  whenever  I  think  of  them  (and  they  are  never 
long  absent  from  my  mind).  I  think  it  a  most  enviable  thing  to  be  as 
old  as  you  are,  with  the  work  of  life  mainly  done,  my  children  all  long 
ago  raised,  and  able  to  take  care  of  their  own  destiny,  and  no  remaining 
worldly  interest  by  which  the  destroyers  of  our  country  can  much 
harass  you.  Nearly  all  your  treasure  is  laid  up  where  moth  and  rust 
cannot  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  dig  through  and  steal ;  and 
'where  your  treasure  is,  there  your  heart  is  also.'  It  may  be  said  that 
my  treasure  ought  to  be  there  too.  I  hope  that  I  have  an  inheritance 
there,  and  this  hope  is  an  anchor  to  my  soul ;  but  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  avoid  many  anxious  cares,  and  pangs  of  distress  for  the  ruins 
around  me.  It  seems  to  me  that  these  feelings  are  very  much  necessi- 
tated by  my  very  duties;  if  I  do  my  duties,  I  must  have  these  affections 
through  which  I  suffer,  or  else  be  an  anger,  or  a  devil,  instead  of  a  man. 


I 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  303 

For  instance,  I  have  long  given  my  labors  enthusiastically  for  our  be- 
loved church,  and  especially  for  this  agency  of  its  growth,  which  is 
specially  committed  to  me,  the  Seminary.  Now,  when  I  see  the  church 
undergoing,  in  most  of  her  members,  such  cruel  sufferings,  and  the 
Seminary  destined  to  destruction,  I  cannot  but  feel  sad.  The  labors  of 
my  life  seem  to  be  like  marks  made  on  a  sand  beach  for  the  rising  tide 
to  wash  away,  save  as  I  may  have  been  instrumental  in  saving  some 
souls.  That  work,  thank  God,  cannot  be  undone  by  the  malice  of  men 
or  devils.  When  I  look  at  my  little  dependent  children,  and  consider 
what  a  world  they  have  to  go  through,  I  sometimes  think  that  it  is  better 
with  those  that  'are  not.'  If  they  find  the  world  as  I  have  found  it,  it 
will  be  a  wilderness  indeed,  with  plenty  of  wild  beasts  in  it.  It  is  true 
that  I  have  a  great  advantage  over  most  people  here,  that  the  evidently 
approaching  ruin  of  the  country  is  no  surprise  to  me.  I  always  fore- 
knew it,  and  do  not  see  it  a  particle  more  clearly  now  than  when  General 
Lee  surrendered.  I  see  the  people  around  me  now  very  blue,  almost 
thunder-struck ;  and  not  a  few,  who  the  year  of  General  Lee's  surrender, 
told  me  that  I  was  committing  a  great  sin  by  looking  on  the  dark  side, 
are  now,  like  rats,  trying  to  run  away  from  the  sinking  ship.  .  .  . 
"Your  affectionate  son,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

In  his  letter  to  Dr.  Hoge,  of  January  2,  1867,  he  had  already- 
expressed  his  fear  that  the  Northern  Church  would  swallow 
up  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  that  its  independence 
would  "be  lost  after  a  time  (partly  betrayed  by  its  own  men, 
and  partly  overpowered  by  the  Yankees),"  and  that  in  "thirty 
years"  there  would  be  "no  such  thing  as  a  separate  Southern 
Church."    He  had  said : 

"I  feel  that,  except  as  I  may  be  the  part  instrument  in  gathering  some 
souls  into  the  church  above,  every  effort  I  make  here  is  like  making 
marks  on  the  sand  beach  below  high-water  mark.  All  will  certainly  be 
obliterated.  Nor  do  I  believe  there  is  any  other  country  on  earth,  where 
the  prospect  would  not  be  better  for  Virginia  society  and  Virginia 
Christianity's  making  a  permanent  impress  for  good." 

With  these  views  as  to  the  Church  and  State,  it  was  natural 
that  he  should  have  desired  to  leave  this  country  far  behind 
him.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  entertained  the  idea  of  emigra- 
tion seriously  from  1865  to  the  close  of  the  period  we  are  now 
studying.  The  places  which  he  studied  as  possible  future  homes 
for  himself  and  other  like-minded  Southerners  lie  in  three  con- 
tinents, in  Australia,  in  South  America,  and  in  Europe.  He 
entertained  the  possibility  of  a  vast  emigration,  that  of  a  people 
so  numerous   that   they   could   make   in   any  place  their  own 


304         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

society  and  control  it.  He  studied  certain  quarters  with  refer- 
ence to  their  homing  such  a  multitude.  He  studied  others  as 
suitable  possibilities  in  case  only  a  few  should  emigrate.  The 
following  excerpts  from  letters  set  forth  these,  and  many  kin- 
dred thoughts,  tentative  plans  and  purposes,  which  possessed 
him  during  these  years,  as  well  as  the  reasons  for  his  desiring 
to  emigrate. 

He  writes  to  his  brother,  August  7,  1865  • 

"I  have  said  nothing  of  the  prospect  of  my  leaving  the  country,  on 
mother's  account,  and  I  have  felt  that  we  could  not  be  too  cautious,  out 
of  regard  to  her  feeHngs,  in  observing  a  strict  silence  about  it.  It  is  very 
natural  for  an  old  person  like  her  to  say,  'My  children  are  waiting  for 
me  to  die,  to  leave;   I  am  in  their  way,  and  have  lived  too  long.' 

"To  my  present  view,  the  least  tolerable  pari  of  the  United  States 
would  be  a  good  neighborhood  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia;  fewer  free 
negroes  to  blight  it;  industrial  pursuits  less  dependent  on  regular  and 
large  supplies  of  farm  labor;  a  sturdy  and  honest  population,  who,  I 
hear,  behave  nobly  under  present  disasters ;  but  I  have  no  idea  of 
removing  to  settle  again  anywhere  imder  Yankee  despotism.  I  have  a 
volume  which  I  should  like  to  say  to  you  touching  our  general  prospects. 
You  know  my  views,  however.  The  real  motive  with  me  for  seeking  a 
new  country  is  not  the  petulant  feeling  of  pride  galled  by  defeat,  nor 
any  reference  to  future  hard  times,  heavy  taxation,  vexatious  restraints 
of  despotism,  etc.,  etc.  It  is  a  regard  to  the  moral  well-being  of  myself 
and  children.  To  me,  with  my  irreconcilable  sense  of  wrong,  and  moral 
indignation,  acquiescence,  subserviency,  suppression  of  the  liberty  of 
speaking  and  printing  on  our  outraged  rights,  is  inevitable  moral  degra- 
dation. To  my  children,  life  under  a  mean,  brutal  despotism  must  be  a 
gradual  school  of  lax  principle  and  degraded  aims.  If  history  teaches 
anything,  it  teaches  that  the  subjects  of  such  governments  always  be- 
come a  mean  people.  Witness  the  Romans,  Neapolitans,  Russians, 
Chinese.  I  feel  it  to  be  the  highest  duty  I  owe  to  my  children  not  to 
let  them  enter  on  a  man's  career  under  any  hut  a  government  of  laws." 

To  Dr.  M.  D.  Hoge  he  wrote,  on  the  i6th  of  August,  1865  : 

"Your  letter  presented  exactly  my  feelings  about  the  question  of 
remaining  in  America  I  do  not  see  what  reasonable  ground  of  hope 
there  is,  which  appears  probable  to  the  mere  human  understanding. 
(With  God  all  things  are  possible.)  When  we  said,  during  the  war,  that 
we  were  contending  for  everything  which  makes  the  heritage  of  a  free. 
Christian  people  dear  to  them,  I,  for  one,  believed  what  I  said,  and  as 
I  see  we  are  whipped,  I  must  regard  all  this  as  lost.  I  cannot  so  soon 
unlearn  the  deliberate  and  solemn  convictions  on  which  I  staked  my  life 
upon  the  field  of  battle,  and  now  avow,  virtually,  that  when  we  made 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  305 

those  strenuous  declarations  concerning  the  stake  of  the  war,  we  were 
all  demagoguizing.  I,  for  one,  was  not.  But  everything  I  have  seen 
since  convinces  me  more,  that  I  was  not  mistaken.  It  appears  to  me  that 
there  are  only  two  prospects  for  the  South.  Parts  of  it  will  continue 
under  the  present  paralysis,  until  they  sink  permanently  into  the  condi- 
tion of  Jamaica  (of  these,  I  fear  Southside  Virginia  will  be  one.)  Other 
parts,  as  Northern  Virginia  and  the  Valley,  will  again  see  material  pros- 
perity; but  only  by  being  completely  Yankeeized.  There  is  our  whole 
prospect. 

"Again,  people  do  not  enough  allow  for  the  poisonous  moral  effects 
of  an  oppressive  government.  What,  with  this  blight  (so  visible  now  in 
society  and  church)  and  the  killing  and  banishing  of  the  most  of  our 
better  spirits,  I  fear  the  independence,  the  honor,  the  hospitality,  the 
integrity,  the  everything  which  constituted  Southern  character,  is  gone 
forever.  The  Yankees  said  they  would  either  conquer  the  South,  or 
exterminate  it.  They  have  done  the  latter,  literally.  You  know  that  in 
every  community,  everything  which  is  morally  characteristic  of  it  pro- 
ceeds from  a  small  minority.  (In  your  church  there  are  about  twenty- 
five  men  and  women  whose  extinction  all  together  would  virtually  ex- 
tinguish the  church.)  Now  of  that  ruling  class  in  the  South  the  most 
have  been  literally  murdered  by  the  Yankees,  and  a  good  many  banished. 
A  few— Generals  Lee.  Gordon,  Hill,  etc.,  Drs.  Hoge,  Palmer,  etc.— 
remain  alive,  but  powerless  and  fettered.  The  Yankees  have  literally 
killed  that  which  made  the  South  the  South. 

"From  all  I  see,  the  only  chance  to  save  any  of  the  true  Christianity 
of  the  South  is  to  transplant  it  as  quick  as  possible.  People  say,  'What 
is  then  to  become  of  this  land,  if  you  take  away  the  only  salt  left?'  I 
reply,  'What  if  this  salt  should  lose  its  savor?'  Consult  history.  Did 
ever  an  evangelical  and  pure  church  exist  long  under  a  mean,  despotic 
government— except  as  it  lived  habitually  in  the  fires  of  persecution?  If 
the  latter  is  to  be  the  condition  of  our  existence  in  this  State,  I,  for  one, 
prefer  to  avail  myself  of  our  Saviour's  precept  and  permission,  'When 
they  persecute  you  in  one  city,  flee  ye  into  another.' 

"Now,  if  only  a  few  Confederates  are  going  to  preserve  their  prin- 
ciple and  rights  by  leaving  the  country,  they  had  better  go  to  such  a 
community  as  they  would  be  willing  to  have  their  children  absorbed  by. 
If  only  a  few  go  to  Brazil,  for  instance,  before  I  go  with  them,  I  must 
ask,  'Am  I  willing  for  my  children  to  be  Brazilians  after  I  am  dead?' 
The  few  should  choose,  then,  a  free  Protestant  state.  It  is  important 
that  living  be,  moreover,  cheap.  These  conditions  might  be  met  by 
Holland,  Berne,  or  Lausanne,  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  etc.  (by  Great 
Britain,  if  living  were  not  so  dear).  But  if  so  many  Confederates  go 
as  to  make  their  own  community,  and  absorb,  instead  of  being  absorbed, 
then  all  is  different.  We  need  not  be  so  anxious  about  the  order  and 
stability  of  the  government  to  which  we  go,  because  we  will  be  strong 
enough  to  take  care  of  ourselves,  and  make  an  unstable  state  stable. 
20 


3o6         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  want  a  wide,  new  country,  that  invites  immigra- 
tion, with  rich,  virgin  land  cheap.  See  this:  if  ten  or  twenty  thousand 
Confederate  families  were  once  seated  in  such  a  land,  and  had  made  a 
crop,  poverty  would  no  longer  be  an  obstacle  to  any  of  those  left  behind. 
If  I  had  to  go  now,  without  an  estate,  to  the  Hague,  for  instance, 
without  one  line  of  connection  between  me  and  the  people  there,  or  a 
single  acquaintance,  or  a  common  language,  I  should  probably  suffer 
destitution.  But  if  there  were  on  the  La  Plata  or  in  New  Zealand  such 
a  Confederate  colony  as  I  have  described,  what  would  I  fear  on  landing 
there  with  health  and  one-half  dollar  in  my  pocket?  I  would  find  land, 
bread  and  meat  cheap,  all  forms  of  useful  labor  in  demand,  and  well 
paid.  I  would  meet  Virginians  there,  several  of  the  extensive  clan  of 
my  blood  relations,  sundry  old  army  comrades,  sundry  brother  preach- 
ers, and  any  number  of  Presbyterians.  I  would  find  employment;  I 
would  be  useful,  and  in  five  years  would  own  a  better  home  than  I  shall 
ever  have  in  Virginia. 

"The  thing,  then,  is  this :  before  our  gallant  young  Confederates  scat- 
ter themselves  from  Vancouver's  Island  to  Australia  (as,  alas!  they 
will  do — are  doing),  a  selection  might  be  wisely  made,  and  a  settlement 
begun  under  potent  auspices,  by  such  of  us  as  have  a  little  property  left. 
We  need  a  Jicad,  to  centralize  emigration ;  to  bargain  for  us  with  some 
government  securing  us  a  charter  of  religious  and  civic  rights,  and  some 
privilege  in  getting  cheap  homesteads.  I  believe  that  if  one  of  our  lead- 
ing statesmen  or  generals  (c.  g.,  General  Lee)  would  do  this,  he  would 
be  accomplishing  the  best  work  now  possible  for  the  Confederate  people 
and  church.  If  a  settlement  were  well  begun,  in  a  wide  country,  under  a 
good  climate,  there  would  occur  a  perfect  exodus  of  all  that  remains 
worth  saving  in  the  South.  Then  let  the  Yankees  keep  the  blighted  soil, 
with  the  miserable  free  negroes,  and  despotize  as  they  please.  If  you 
consider  that  mere  domestic  interest  actually  did  move  some  five  millions 
of  people  from  Virginia  and  Carolina  across  a  tedious,  expensive  and 
laborious  land  journey,  to  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  is  it  Utopian 
to  expect  as  many  more  to  go,  moved  by  domestic  interests  and  political 
disgusts  conjoined?  Our  people  are  an  emigrating  people  anyhow,  with 
feeble  local  attachments,  mobile  and  adventurous. 

"I  understand  General  Lee  sets  his  face  against  all  this.  (Well, 
West  Point  knows  mathematics  and  tactics,  but  not  history,  human 
nature  and  statesmanship,  as  witness  Jeff.  Davis  &  Co.)  There  is 
Breckinridge,  popular,  able,  an  exile  already — can  he  be  communicated 
with?  I  wish  some  one  would  do  so;  lay  these  ideas  before  him.  He 
should  associate  Daddy  Price,  who,  I  understand,  has  gone  to  Rio,  and 
a  few  such  (men  who  have  been  farmers  as  well  as  generals),  select  his 
place,  bargain  for  rights  and  homesteads,  and  then  fill  the  Confederate 
States,  Nassau,  Bermuda,  Canada,  with  his  prospectus,  through  clandes- 
tine channels,  if  necessary.    .     .    . 

"I  suppose  many  people  would  regard  these  speculations  as  showing 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  307 

a  cracked,  fantastical  spirit,  excited  by  mortified  pride,  etc.  I  have  two 
solaces.  One  is  to  remember  'William  the  Silent,'  the  Washington  of 
the  Netherlands,  the  most  cool,  deliberate,  astute,  far-seeing  of  states- 
men, and  most  holy  patriot  and  Christian;  that  this  was  precisely  his 
plan.  If  the  Hollanders  were  overthrown  by  Spain,  his  advice  was  that 
they  should  make  a  universal  exodus  to  Batavia,  in  Java,  and  leave  to 
the  conquerors  only  the  conquered  dirt  of  what  had  been  their  country. 
The  other  is  to  note  that  the  most  generous,  honorable,  and  Christian  of 
my  acquaintances  sympathize  most  with  me  in  this  matter. 

"Isn't  it  a  little  queer  that  I  should  be  lectured  on  the  great  crime 
of  deserting  the  interests  of  Southern  Christianity,  I,  who  have  devoted 
my  life  to  Virginia,  and  persistently  refused  the  most  brilliant  allure- 
ments to  the  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  or  to  Princeton,  for  my  dear 
love  to  our  old  mother?  These  plans — perhaps  dreams — of  emigration 
are  prompted  by  the  same  fidelity,  because  I  fear  that  the  only  way  to 
save  Virginia  is  to  take  her  out  of  Virginia.  My  ambition  never  has 
been  to  leave  Virginia  to  go  to  the  Yankees,  and  now  it  is  to  take  Vir- 
ginia,  along   with    myself,    away    from    that   race." 

The  following  letter  shows  that  there  were  not  a  few  who 

sympathized   with   him   fully   in   the  desire  to   emigrate.     He 

writes : 

"March  13,  1866. 

"Dear  Brother:  Since  my  last  was  written  to  you,  I  have  written 
again  briefly,  enclosing  a  very  interesting  letter  from  General  Stevens. 
This  I  hope  you  have  gotten.  A  day  or  two  ago,  I  got  a  letter  of  sixteen 
pages  from  Maury  (written  on  government  stationery,  with  a  broad 
mourning  stripe;  I  suppose  for  King  Leopold,  the  Empress  Carlotta's 
father.)  He  mentions  having  sent  me  a  copy  of  a  letter  to  another  in- 
quirer, giving  statistical  and  geographical  information,  which  I  have  not 
yet  received.  If  it  comes  to  hand,  I  will  send  it  to  you.  Commodore 
Maury's  letter  to  me  is  all  addressed  to  the  one  point,  the  prospects  o£ 
Maximilian's  government.  I  had,  in  my  letter  to  him,  pointed  out  that 
an  assurance  of  stability  of  political  institutions,  especially  as  against 
the  Yankee,  was  the  capital  point  with  us.  He  begins  by  saying  that  I 
can  tell  better  than  he  whether  the  Yankees  are  likely  to  assail  Ma.xi- 
milian,  but  that  they  should  desire  to  do  so  was  very  likely,  inasmuch  as 
Maximilian  seems,  as  to  them,  'apparently,  in  the  condition  of  the  Iamb 
in  the  fable.'  He  then  adds,  'Mind,  I  say,  apparently  in  the  condition 
of  the  lamb  in  the  fable.'  'But  he  would  seem  a  very  shallow  man  who 
should  expect  the  Yankees  to  succeed,  as  did  the  wolf  with  the  lamb,' 
etc.  In  another  place  he  uses  about  this  language,  that  he  does  not 
speak  'by  the  card,'  but  that  his  residence  in  Europe  convinced  him  that 
there  was  an  understanding  between  France,  Spain  and  England,  to 
which  Austria  had  later  acceded,  that  Maximilian  was  to  be  held  up, 
and  that  the  interference  of  the  United  States  in  Mexican  affairs  would 


3o8         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

be  the  occasion  of  an  European  coalition  to  maintain  the  balance  of 
i)ower.  Maury's  whole  letter  is  intended,  obviously,  to  reassure  us, 
"without  saying  out  loud,  that  Maximilian  is  to  be  supported.  His  letter 
is  interesting,  but  extravagant.  He  declares  himself  an  enthusiastic 
applauder  of  Mexican  prospects,  of  Maximilian,  and  especially  the 
Empress. 

"I  seem  to  be  becoming,  unintentionally,  a  centre  of  correspondence 
about  emigration  ideas  for  our  acquaintances.  Among  the  most  zealous 
and  determined  are  Lanty  Minor,  and  Cousin  Maria,  daughter  of  Blair 
Dabney,  and  widow  of  W.  C.  Carrington.  It  seems  to  me  nearly  every 
person  of  any  standing  or  intelligence  I  meet  with  is  inclined  to  emi- 
gration, and  only  needs  an  inviting  outlet  to  determine  him.  It  seems 
to  me  that  the  programme  for  yon  should  be  this,  to  go  South  next  fall 
on  a  tour  of  exploration,  and  thus  escape  the  trying  climate.  You  will 
then  be  able  to  act  intelligently,  and  the  ensuing  year  make  final  arrange- 
ments. Meantime,  I  must  plod  on  here,  and  endeavor  to  earn  some- 
thing to  move  on." 

Amongst  his  correspondents  on  the  subject  of  emigration  was 
Gen.  Jubal  A.  Early ;  and  it  is  curious  to  note  that  both  he  and, 
at  one  time.  Commodore  Maury,  favored  New  Zealand  as  their 
land  of  Canaan,  on  the  ground,  as  General  Early  puts  it,  that 
it  was  "far  away  from  Yankees  and  negroes." 

This  purpose  of  emigration,  if  the  way  should  open,  was  a 
Tery  serious  one  with  Dr.  Dabney.  He  wrote  to  various  quar- 
ters of  the  globe ;  and  he  received  letters  in  reply.  Some  of 
these  were  full  of  sympathy  and  encouragement ;  others  were 
not.  Many  of  them  were  informing,  at  least ;  and  he  was  after 
information.  He  had  had  some  notion  of  traveling  all  the  way 
to  New  York  jtist  to  talk  with  Dr.  Patrick  Fairbairn.  of  Glas- 
gow, Scotland,  about  Australia  and  New  Zealand,  and  other 
parts  of  the  British  dominions ;  and  there  are  considerable  let- 
ters among  his  remains  from  Dr.  Fairbairn.  The  one  from 
New  York  is  as  follows  : 

"New  York,'  136  W.  25TH  St.,  June  19.  1867. 
'■Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  been  intending  for  some  time  to 
address  a  few  lines  to  you  on  the  subject  of  Dr.  Leyburn's  communica- 
tion to  me,  but  incessant  bustle  and  locomotion  have  hitherto  prevented 
me.  Of  course,  a  very  few  lines  might  have  done,  if  I  had  merely 
thought  of  informing  you  of  my  probable  arrival  in  New  York  at  a 
certain  time,  and  my  readiness  to  see  you  there,  and  give  you  any 
information  in  my  power  respecting  the  Presbyterian  interests  in  Aus- 
tralia ;  but  I  did  not  think  it  would  be  proper  for  you  to  come  so  far  as 
this  for  anything  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  impart  to  you  on  the 


J 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  309 

subject.  The  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Victoria  and  in  New  South 
Wales  are  composed  of  parties  who  belonged,  not  only  to  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland,  but  also  to  the  Established  Church,  and  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church.  So  that,  though  partaking  largely  of  a  Free 
Church  element,  and  holding  by  Free  Church  principles,  they  are  inde- 
pendent, and  have  the  exclusive  direction  of  their  own  affairs.  The 
Free  Church  is  often  applied  to  for  probationers  to  go  out  and  supply 
vacant  places,  but  those  who  go  can  receive  from  us  no  special  destina- 
tion ;  they  can  only  be  recommended,  and,  in  certain  cases,  I  believe, 
indeed,  very  commonly,  their  travelling  expenses  paid.  It  appears  to 
me  that,  except  in  circumstances  of  a  very  peculiar  and  urgent  nature., 
it  would  not  be  advisable  for  any  one  of  good  ministerial  standing,  and 
approaching,  or  past,  middle  life,  to  adventure  into  such  a  field,  however 
strong  the  recommendation  that  might  be  given  him.  Australia  is  more 
a  field  for  the  young,  the  elastic,  the  enterprising,  for  those  whose  con- 
stitutions are  still  fresh  and  vigorous,  whose  spirits  are  buoyant,  and 
who  can  with  comparative  ease  adapt  themselves  to  a  new  state  of 
society,  and  a  still  comparatively  rude  order  of  things.  In  such  cities 
as  Melbourne  and  Sydney  there  is  good  society,  and  there  are  churches 
which  any  one  might  well  deem  it  an  honor  and  a  privilege  to  fill ;  but 
there  are  not  many  such  in  connection  with  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  one  might  have  to  wait  for  a  considerable  period  before  any  proper 
opening  occurred.  I  do  not  doubt  that  a  situation  of  some  sort  might, 
without  much  uncertainty,  be  calculated  on  by  any  respectable  minister 
within  a  reasonable  time,  but  it  is  a  chance,  I  think,  if  it  might  be  one 
that  might  be  felt  altogether  agreeable  for  a  person  who  had  labored  for 
years  in  another  country,  and  in  a  different  sphere. 

"I  am  so  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  circumstances,  present  and 
prospective,  in  which  you  stand,  that  I  am  scarcely  in  a  condition  to 
ofifer  any  positive  advice ;  but  my  leaning  is  in  favor  of  a  continuance 
at  home,  if  such  a  thing  be  not  absolutely  impracticable.  My  conviction 
is  that  party  feeling  on  both  sides  will  soon  subside  here,  that  a  settled 
and  comparatively  agreeable  state  of  things  will  emerge  in  the  South, 
far  sooner  than  those  who  have  lived  through  the  late  great  conflict  can 
suppose,  and  that  the  work  to  be  done  in  this  vast  country  is  so  great, 
so  important,  so  urgent,  that  no  one  should  leave  it  who  can  possibly 
abide  in  it.  Such  is  my  conviction,  but  should  you  feel  a  change  de- 
sirable or  necessary,  and  still  incline  toward  Australia,  I  believe  your 
best  plan  would  be  to  enter  in  correspondence  with  one  of  the  leading 
ministers  there,  for  example,  with  Dr.  Cairns,  of  Melbourne,  who,  I  am 
sure,  would  give  you  all  needful  information,  and  be  of  more  service 
than  I  or  any  Free  Church  minister  in  Scotland  can  be.  I  sail  from 
here  on  the  22nd  instant,  and  must  ask  you  to  excuse  this  brief  letter. 
For  weeks  I  have  had  no  time,  almost,  to  write  anything.  I  am,  rev- 
erend and  dear  sir, 

"Yours  very  truly,  P.  Fairbairn." 


310         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

God  had  a  great  work  for  him  to  do  in  this  country.  He  was 
not  to  emigrate ;  and  toward  the  end  of  1868  he  pretty  much 
ceased  to  talk  or  write  of  emigration. 

His  desire  to  emigrate  had  been  one  motive  to  his  teaching 
a  girls'  school  during  the  autumn,  winter  and  spring,  i865-'66. 
He  hoped  thus  to  save  some  money  on  which  to  move.  Another 
reason  for  his  teaching  this  school  was  that  he  might  secure  a 
support  for  his  family  at  Hampden-Sidney  while  teaching  in 
the  Seminary.  He  supposed  that  there  would  be  no  salary 
from  the  institution.  He  made  his  arrangements  with  a  view 
to  twenty  scholars,  and  six  boarders  in  his  own  house.  The 
following  card  appeared  in  certain  Richmond  papers  in  the 
summer  of  1865  : 

'The  decrease  of  students  and  total  loss  of  income,  which  have  be- 
fallen Union  Theological  Seminary,  require  me  to  adopt  some  other 
means  of  securing  useful  occupation  and  subsistence.  I,  therefore,  pro- 
pose to  open  in  my  house,  on  September  i,  1865,  a  private  seminary  for 
young  ladies.  A  few  boarders  will  be  taken  in  my  own  family,  and 
others  can  find  homes  in  excellent  families  in  the  village  around  me. 
The  best  instruction  will  be  given  in  the  sciences,  ancient  and  modern 
languages,  and  English  rudiments,  together  with  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  As  the  number  of  pupils  will  be  limited,  I  propose  to  give  all 
the  instruction  in  all  these  branches,  except  instrumental  music,  myself, 
in  order  to  guarantee  thoroughness  and  finish  of  training,  and  an  accu- 
rate pronunciation,  as  well  as  knowledge,  of  the  French  and  Italian 
languages.  A  long  and  varied  experience  in  teaching,  with  the  purpose 
of  care  and  diligence  in  advancing  my  pupils,  is  offered  as  the  warrant 
of  this  promise. 

"I  propose  to  furnish  boarding  and  tuition,  including  every  item  of 
expense  whatever,  except  instrumental  music,  for  the  scholastic  year  of 
ten  months,  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  in  specie.  From  country 
gentlemen,  all  family  supplies  will  be  received  at  market  value,  and 
from  them  or  others,  the  Federal  paper  currency  will  be  received  at 
current  rates  at  the  time  of  payment.  A  quarter's  payment  will  be 
expected  in  advance.  The  best  instruction  in  instrumental  music  will 
be  furnished  such  pupils  as  de5ire  it,  at  the  bare  cost  of  the  instructor's 
fees.  The  advantages  of  the  place  in  quiet,  salubrity  of  climate,  moral 
society,  and  access  to  public  worship  are  well  known. 

"Address  Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D.,  Hampden-Sidney,  Prince  Ed- 
ward county,  Va." 

The  school  was  a  successful  enterprise  in  almost  every  way. 
He  had  eight  house  boarders  and  eleven  day  scholars.  He  is 
remembered  by  at  least  one  of  those  pupils  to  this  day,  as 


Period  OF  Desire  TO  Emigrate.  311 

"seated  in  his  hard,  wooden  arm-chair,  on  one  side  of  the  fire- 
place in  his  study,  his  hands  often  occupied  with  some  me- 
chanical work,  while  he  strove  with  the  dull  brains  of  careless 
girls." 

"He  was  as  much  interested  in  us  and  our  welfare  of  body,  mind 
and  soul  as  if  he  had  no  more  important  work.  In  1865,  it  was  not  easy 
to  find  an  abundant  supply  of  provisions  anywhere,  I  suppose,  and  Mr. 
Lane,  who  lived  with  Cousin  Robert  then,  was  sent  with  his  wagon  into 
the  mountains  to  buy  butter,  cheese,  sorghum,  etc.,  for  his  family  larder. 
I  think  Dr.  Dabney  greatly  enjoyed  the  sorghum;  you  probably  know 
his  fondness  for  sweets. 

'"The  school  numbered  about  twenty,  Charley  the  only  boy.  Dr. 
Dabney  spent  the  morning  hours  with  his  school,  and  went  to  his  lec- 
tures in  the  Seminary  in  the  afternoon.  He  gave  botli  time  and  thought 
to  his  less  congenial  work,  and  prepared,  himself,  rather  an  elaborate 
set  of  rules  for  the  pronunciation  of  French. 

"The  boarders  were  made  comfortable,  and  we  were  quite  happy.  I 
wonder  now  that  we  had  so  much  liberty.  I  think,  on  the  whole,  we 
were  a  very  orderly  set  of  girls,  in  spite  of  his  severe  criticism  to  Dr. 
Smith.  No  one  was  guilty  of  serious  misbehavior,  but  I  have  no  doubt 
we  were  restrained  by  a  wholesome  fear,  even  a  lecture  from  Dr.  Dab- 
ney being  something  awful  to  encounter.  I  do  not  remember  more  than 
one  or  two  of  these.  I  expect  he  had  more  watchfulness  over  us  than 
we  knew ;  it  is  not  probable  that  much  escaped  his  eye.  I  wish  I  had 
been  more  conscious  of  the  real  tenderness  and  kindness  which  was 
beneath  the  stern  exterior."  ' 

With  Mrs.  Dabney's  aid,  he  saved  from  his  school  "one 
thousand  dollars  in  greenbacks."  This  school  was  a  boon  to 
the  people  of  Prince  Edward.  But,  after  a  year,  Dr.  Dabney 
discontinued  the  girls'  school,  and  devoted  himself  wholly  to 
the  Seminary  and  congregation.  The  good  Presbyterians  in 
Baltimore  who  sympathized  with  the  South  had  come  to  the 
aid  of  the  Seminary,  and  Copperheads  in  New  York  had  added 
to  the  sum.  So  that,  unexpectedly,  the  professors  drew  their 
salaries. 

The  prospects  of  the  Seminary  had  seemed  dark  indeed  in 
the  summer  of  1865.  No  revenues  were  in  sight.  During  the 
war,  the  Board  had  invested  $46,000  of  funds  in  Confederate 
State  bonds.  These  were  a  total  loss ;  and  so  were  the  invest- 
ments in  bank  stock.    The  State  securities  held  by  the  institu- 

"  Letter  from  Miss  Charlotte  Price,  242  Olney  Road,  Norfolk,  May 
13,  1901. 


2.12         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

tion,  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  bonds,  were  indeed  to  be  ulti- 
mately productive;  but  they  yielded  nothing  "in  that  first  year 
of  stunning  collapse."  The  Seminary  was  absolutely  without 
one  cent  of  income.  The  members  of  the  Faculty  had  very 
little  food  for  their  own  families ;  but  they  advertised,  inviting 
students  to  come  back  and  resume  their  studies,  whether  they 
had  any  money  or  not.  They  proposed  to  teach  them  gratis, 
and  beg  rations  for  them.  With  his  usual  energy,  Dr.  Dabney 
urged,  by  personal  correspondence,  individual  students  to 
return.  For  instance,  he  writes  to  Mr.  George  L.  Leyburn, 
of  Bedford  county,  Va.,  who  was  thinking  of  teaching  for  a 
year  or  two  to  get  means  with  which  to  complete  his  theological 
education : 

"Union  Theological  Seminary,  Va.,  July  lo,  1865. 
"Mr.  George  L.  Leyburn. 

"My  Dear  Young  Friend  :  Our  Seminary  will  open  for  its  regular 
course  the  second  Monday  of  September  next,  and,  Deo  volente,  all  the 
Faculty  will  be  at  their  posts.  There  is  little  prospect  of  getting  remu- 
nerative schools  just  now,  and  you  ought  not  to  consume  time.  I  am 
sorry  that  all  the  scholarships  for  young  men  are  just  now  barren,  as 
the  State  stock  pays  no  dividends.  I  have  devised  a  plan  to  get  on 
li'ithout  money  (as  the  professors  will  have  to  teach  without  salaries). 
Let  the  students  go  on  borrowed  text-books  (from  the  pastors),  and 
wear  old  clothes  or  homespun.  (Plenty  here  to  keep  you  company,  for 
instance,  I  shall,  perforce.)  Let  the  churches  contribute  in  provisions, 
and  the  young  men  live  on  rations  as  during  the  war.  (Only,  I  hope, 
better.)  There  is  plenty  of  room  in  the  Seminary  for  storage  and  cook- 
ing, as  well  as  lodging.  If  they  do  not  wish  to  cook,  it  can  always  be 
done  out.  Surely  the  Bedford '  churches  can  furnish  one  man's  rations, 
viz.,  240  pounds  of  flour,  120  pounds  of  bacon,  a  bushel  of  dried  fruit, 
one  ditto  peas  or  beans,  5  gallons  of  molasses,  50  pounds  of  sugar,  10 
pounds  of  coffee,  10  pounds  of  rice,  etc.,  etc.  Mention  this  to  Hooper 
and  Penick,*  and  whisper  to  them  that  you  can  superintend  the  trans- 
portation. Then  you  really  have  nothing  else  to  pay  for,  save  wood 
and  washing.  Wait  on  yourselves,  as  I  did.  Rooms  furnished,  library, 
and  tuition  are  gratuitous  to  all. 

"Let  us  show  the  rascally  Yankees  tliat  they  cannot  starve  us  into 
measures. 

"With  love  to  your  father, 

"Yours  fraternally,  R.  L.  D.\bney. 

^  The  "Bedford"  mentioned  is  Bedford  county,  Va. 

*  "Hooper  and  Penick"  were  two  Presbyterian  pastors  in  that  county. 
Rev.  T.  W.  Hooper,  at  Liberty  (now  Bedford  City),  and  Rev.  P.  T. 
Penick,  at  the  Old  Peaks  Church. 


I 


Period  OF  Desire  TO  Emigrate.  313 

"It  is  desirable  that  you  should  have  the  following:  Good  Lexicons, 
Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew ;  Hebrew  Grammar,  Nordheimer's  or  Gesenius, 
if  you  can;  Hebrew  Bible  and  Greek  Testament;  Murdoch's  Mosheim's 
Church  History;  Kurtz'  Manual  (one  volume,  i2mo)  Sacred  History; 
Dick,  Hill,  and  Turretin,  Theologies;  Alexander's  Moral  Science; 
Chalmer's  Natural  Theology ;  as  many  of  Calvin's  and  Addison  Alex- 
ander's Commentaries  as  you  can ;  Hodge  on  Romans ;  Sampson  on 
Hebrews;    Home's  Introduction. 

■'Get  what  you  can,  and  do  not  be  discouraged  if  you  fail  to  get 
many." 

Not  a  few  students  took  Dr.  Dabney's  advice,  and  went  to  the 
Seminary  in  1865  wath  "borrowed  books,"  in  "old  clothes," 
though  most  of  them  wore  Confederate  uniforms  wath  the  but- 
tons covered  with  black.  It  was  unlawful  to  wear  "Rebel" 
buttons.  They  went,  too,  depending  on  the  churches  for  pro- 
visions. Their  wants,  however,  were  to  be  otherwise  supplied. 
God's  people,  under  his  gracious  promptings,  were  generous. 
The  enrollment  for  the  year  was  twenty-four  students. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  1866,  they  issued 
an  address  to  the  Christian  public,  stating  that  it  was  desirable 
to  raise  $100,000  for  the  Seminary  as  soon  as  possible.  "To 
effect  this,"  they  declared,  "it  is  proposed  to  appeal  to  the 
benevolent  both  North  and  South.  The  institution  welcomes 
to  its  advantages  all  who  seek  instruction  in  the  Word  of  God 
as  interpreted  and  set  forth  in  the  time-honored  standards  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  .  .  .  All  ultraisms  in  doctrine,  and 
all  subjects  connected  with  political  government,  and  questions 
that  engender  strife,  are  carefully  discarded  from  the  topics 
of  discussion  and  instruction  in  the  Seminary."  The  measures 
thus  set  on  foot  resulted  in  an  addition  of  ninety  thousand 
dollars  to  the  endowment  in  the  course  of  the  next  ten  years 
thereafter. 

While  another  honored  member  of  the  Faculty  was  the  chief 
agent  in  raising  this  addition  to  the  endowment.  Dr.  Dabney's 
influence  in  building  it  up  is  undoubted,  and  was  considerable. 
Several  men  can  be  named  as  having  contributed  largely  be- 
cause he  was  there. 

Though  Dr.  Dabney  was  no  longer  uneasy  about  his  support, 
he  never  was  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  Seminary's  material 
side  thereafter.  Its  environment  changed,  and  came  to  please 
him  less  and  less.  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Hoge,  dated  January  2, 
1867,  from  which  quotations  have  already  been  made,  he  asks: 


314         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

''What  is  to  become  of  this  College  and  Seminary?  Can  literary- 
institutions  flourish  in  an  'Israel  Hill'  ?  This  is  a  grave  question  for 
their  friends.  Either  the  negro  must  move,  or  the  College  and  Seminary 
must  move.  But  enough  of  this.  I  will  say  goodnight,  and  close  with 
the  hope  that  your  dreams  may  not  be  of  negro  jurymen,  magistrates, 
and  governors." 

The  country  about  Hampden-Sidney,  which  had  once  been 
justly  famous  for  the  intelHgence,  cultivation  and  refinement 
of  its  white  population,  began  to  lose  largely  from  the  very  best 
of  its  population.  We  shall  have  occasion  to  note  other  grounds 
of  dissatisfaction  more  particularly  in  the  sequel. 

He  seems  to  have  entertained  the  thought  of  leaving  the 
Seminary  for  a  pastorate,  as  a  possible  alternative  to  emigration, 
or  to  continuing  at  the  Seminary.  On  April  7,  1868,  he  wrote 
to  his  mother : 

"Lavinia  and  the  children  will  spend  the  summer  again  in  the  Valley. 
Things  are  so  dark  here  that  I  think  it  very  doubtful  whether  they  will 
ever  return  to  Prince  Edward.  Matters  are  going  precisely  as  I  always 
anticipated,  to  make  this  part  of  the  country  more  uninhabitable  to 
decent  white  people.  I  see  a  great  many  others  now  waking,  up,  as 
though  out  of  a  dream,  to  their  doleful  situation.  They  do  not  know 
what  to  do.    I  have  the  advantage,  at  least,  of  not  being  surprised." 

The  following  letter  from  the  venerable  Dr.  William  S. 
White  shows  that  Dr.  Dabney  had,  that  spring,  already  begun 
the  agitation  of  his  release  from  the  Seminary.  It  also  shows 
that  the  church  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  was  not  willing 
to  let  him  go. 

"Glade  Spring,  March  4,  1868. 

"My  Dear  Brother:  Your  letter,  27th  ultimo,  reached  me  on  yes- 
terday. Your  sermon  came  several  days  earlier.  For  both,  I  thank 
you.  I  and  my  wife,  and  Henry  and  his,  have  read  your  sermon  with 
lively  interest,  and  with  heart-felt  approbation.  I  sold  seven  copies  of 
your  Defence  of  Virginia  at  Christiansburg,  and  three  here.  Ten  were 
all  I  had.  This  book,  though  enthusiastically  admired  now  by  many, 
will  not  be  fully  appreciated  until  you  and  I  are  dead.  My  grand- 
children, of  which  we  now  have  twenty,  will  live,  when  men  and  women, 
under  its  salutary  influence.     The  truth  will  prevail. 

"And  now  I  am  troubled,  and  know  not  what  to  say.  Your  letter  is 
the  hardest  to  answer  I  ever  received.  I  cannot  say.  Go,  nor  can  I  say, 
Stay;  and  yet  one  or  the  other  I  must  say.  Well,  suppose  I  strike  the 
middle  ground,  and  say,  JVait  until  the  meeting  of  the  Board  or  until 
Providence  may  open  up  some  path  for  you  to  walk  in.     None  of  your 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  315 

many  friends  have  allowed  themselves  to  think  of  your  leaving  the 
Seminary.  They  regard,  as  I  do,  your  continuance  there  as  essential 
to  its  well-being ;  but  if  Cufify,  as  cudgel  in  the  paw  of  the  Yankee,  is 
to  kill  it,  why,  of  course,  make  your  escape. 

"Excepting  the  shedding  of  blood,  the  war  which  has  raged  since 
1865,  is  worse  than  that  which  ended  then.  Now,  as  you  fought  so 
bravely  in  the  first,  can't  you  fight  as  bravely  in  the  second  war  of 
independence?  I  have  little  or  no  confidence  in  any  party  at  the  North, 
political  or  religious;  but  I  have  boundless  confidence  in  the  Yankee's 
love  of  money.  It  seems  to  me  that  all  he  cares  for  Cuffy  is  to  make 
him  tributary  to  the  election  of  a  president,  and  when  that  matter  is 
settled,  no  matter  how,  he  will  be  dropped.  If  our  people  can  but  hold 
on  to  their  lands,  though  pinched  severely,  the  Yankee  will  be  obliged, 
for  the  sake  of  gain,  to  let  the  white  race  make  the  material  for  their 
manufactories  and  shops.  They  are  too  cute  not  to  know  that  the  negro 
cannot  be  relied  on  for  this,  and  as  to  their  laboring  classes  getting  pos- 
session of  our  soil,  they  will  find  two  difficulties,  (i)  There  will  for  a 
long  time  to  come  be  too  many  darkies  for  their  comfort,  as  they  despise 
them,  and  (2)  the  Yankee  laborers,  having  the  characteristic  cunning 
and  shrewdness  of  their  race,  will  become  manufacturers,  and  thus  be- 
come competitors,  and  not  helpers  of  New  England. 

"But  be  this  as  it  may,  let  us  fight  on.  Be  as  brave  and  self-denying 
now  as  we  were  in  the  first  war.  As  sure  as  there  is  a  God  of  truth,  the 
truth  must  ultimately  prevail.  'The  wolf  is  really  upon  us,  but  let  us 
not  on  that  account  'flee.' 

''Still,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that,  with  your  convictions  and  feel- 
ings, you  ought  to  remain  just  where  you  are.  If  you  must  leave  the 
Seminary,  then  I  will  do  my  utmost  to  get  you  to  Lexington.  My  wife 
and  I  would  rejoice  to  see  you  and  yours  in  that  parsonage,  and  to  sit 
under  your  ministry.  I  would  rejoice  to  cooperate  with  you  in  any  way 
— not  official — except  preaching.  I  have  written  cautiously  and  confi- 
dentially to  learn  how  the  land  lies  since  they  foolishly  called  Leftwich, 
and  he  zvisely  declined  the  call ;  but  one  or  two  men  there,  over  whom  I 
have  no  influence,  control  everything. 

"Mrs.  White  reads  all  you  publish  with  cordial  approbation  and  de- 
light, and  loves  you  every  whit  as  much  as  Lavinia  does  me. 

"I  am  looking  out  now  for  something  to  do.  If  I  could  find  a  church 
able  and  willing  to  give  me  and  my  wife  our  board  and  clothes,  I  would 
gladly  take  it.  As  soon  as  I  hear  from  Lexington,  you  shall  hear  from 
me  again.  Mrs.  White  and  Henry  join  me  in  warm  love  to  you  and 
Mrs.  Dabney. 

"Very  truly  and  affectionately,  Wm.  S.  White." 

It  would  have  been  an  irreparable  loss  to  the  Seminary  and 
to  the  church  at  large  for  Dr.  Dabney  to  have  left  the  Seminary 


3i6         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

in  1868.  The  Board  and  his  friends  did  well  to  hold  him  there. 
It  had  always  been  his  way  to  work  at  every  task  as  if  it  were 
his  God-appointed  line  of  effort  for  life.  Hence,  in  spite  of  his 
agitation  of  the  question  of  leaving  the  Seminary,  he  had  re- 
mitted no  whit  of  his  efforts  in  the  institution's  behalf.  He 
studied  and  taught  theology  in  these  years  in  a  tremendous 
way.  His  lectures  on  the  subject  were  taking  the  shape  in 
which  they  were  afterwards  published.  He  was  putting  his 
impress  on  the  vast  majority  of  students  as  no  other  teacher 
in  the  institution.  His  course  was  the  great  course  in  the  Semi- 
nary in  these  days,  as  throughout  most  of  his  days  as  teacher 
in  the  Seminary.  This  must  be  said,  in  spite  of  all  deference 
to  his  very  able  colleagues.  The  major  voice  of  the  students 
of  the  time  demand  some  such  statement  as  this.  His  incidental 
labors  for  the  students  were  also  large  at  this  time.  He  was 
the  specially  trusted  friend  and  councilor  of  most  of  them.  It 
was  a  time  of  phenomenal  poverty  amongst  them.  He  was 
ready  to  aid  them  according  to  his  ability.  In  i865-'66  some 
of  them  boarded  at  his  house.  He  helped  them  through  the 
Seminary  in  a  financial  way ;  and  he  followed  them  with  his 
prayers  and  counsels  when  they  left  the  walls  of  the  Seminary, 
especially  those  who  went  out  as  missionaries  or  undertook 
other  unusual  labors. 

Though  written  a  few  months  after  the  end  of  this  period, 
the  following  letter  to  the  Rev.  Edward  Lane,  missionary  to 
Brazil,  shows  us  the  delightfully  frank  and  genial  way  in  which 
he  wrote  to  some  of  his  pupils  then  in  the  field : 

"Seminary,  December  16,  1869. 
"Dear  Brother  Lane:  I  have  been  delaying  for  two  or  three  weeks 
writing  to  you  under  my  usual  stress  of  some  laziness  and  a  good  deal 
of  company  and  many  duties.  Things  are  getting  on  in  the  Seminary 
very  steadily,  thirty-three  students,  seventeen  juniors,  and  all  the  usual 
routine  of  lectures,  conferences,  rhetoricals,  junior  essays,  Wednesday 
night  preachings,  etc.,  which,  with  my  pastoral  duties,  keep  me  pretty 
much  on  a  dog-trot  all  the  week.  We  have  this  winter  two  boarders,  a 
youth  named  Martin,  from  New  Providence  Church,  Rockbridge,  and 
one  of  my  own  nephews,  John,  the  son  of  my  elder  brother,  Charles 
William  Dabney.  This  last  is  a  noble  fellow,  talented,  pious,  manly, 
courteous  and  respectful,  having  in  addition  to  the  assiduous  training 
and  schooling  of  his  father  (an  old-fashioned  Virginian),  the  hardy 
education  of  the  cornfield.  I  think  his  influence  is  very  good  upon  my 
Charley.    The  latter  is  sophomore  in  all  but  Greek,  in  which  he  is  still 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  317 

freshman,  and  is  getting  on  pretty  well.  Samuel  is  still  a  pupil  of  his 
mamma's,  is  improving  in  his  learning  a  good  deal,  and  is  a  very  piously 
disposed  and  gentlemanly  little  fellow.  Lewis,  the  monkey  missionary, 
is  rather  in  a  transition  state;  having  arrived  at  the  dignity  of  breeches 
and  jacket,  his  mamma  seems  rather  to  have  waked  up  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  big  enough  to  stand  the  switch,  and  consequently  his  back  right 
often  comes  to  grief,  from  his  propensity  to  tell  fibs  and  be  impudent. 
He  wears  frequently  a  very  grave  face,  as  though  somehow  this  world 
was  turning  up  a  very  different  one  from  what  he  had  flattered  himself. 
I  think  the  question  whether  he  can  get  his  own  consent  to  come  fully 
under  the  yoke  of  authority  is  still  under  debate  in  his  mind;  but  it  is 
very  clear  to  him  that  the  switch  is  too  bad  to  stand,  whereon  his  mind 
undergoes  a  good  deal  of  perplexity.  In  addition  to  my  other  engage- 
ments, I  have  undertaken  this  session  the  study  of  German,  Professor 
Blair  having  a  class.  It  is  a  queer  thing,  isn't  it?  that  a  man  so  near 
the  grave  as  I  am  should  be  learning  another  lingo,  when  I  shall  so  soon 
be  done  with  all  of  them ;  but  I  thought  I  had  been  ignorant  of  German 
long  enough.  Dr.  Peck  and  several  divinity  students  are  also  studying 
it.  There  is  a  trifling,  lying  wag  of  a  College  student,  who  attends,  as  I 
believe,  for  no  other  reason  than  to  pick  up  hints  for  quizzing  about  the 
'new  College  students,'  Peck,  Dabney,  etc.  Blair  is  an  exceedingly 
exact  teacher,  and  three  times  a  week  I  have  to  expend  several  hours 
upon  this  business. 

"In  September,  Mrs.  Dabney  got  a  fall  through  the  timbers  of  the 
back  porch,  then  undergoing  repairs,  which  hurt  her  very  much.  She 
was  fast  in  bed  for  ten  days,  and  then  partly  so  for  two  months  or  more. 
She  has  been  gradually  mending  since,  and  is  now  well  enough,  by  care, 
to  attend  to  her  duties.  She  has  gone  to  Farmville  to-day,  shopping, 
with  Sam  and  Ellen  (who  is  still  her  right-hand  man).  We  have 
modified  our  whole  backyard,  moving  up  the  kitchen  (endwise)  to  the 
rear  of  the  dining-room,  within  eight  feet,  and  connecting  it  with  a  sort 
of  closed  porch.     The  arrangement  is  very  comfortable. 

"I  suppose  you  will  have  heard  of  the  election  of  Henry  Alexander 
as  second  biblical  professor.  After  a  good  deal  of  hesitation,  he  has 
consented  to  accept.  Dr.  Smith  seems  to  have  assumed  the  place  of  a 
sort  of  dry-nurse  to  him,  in  his  orphanage,  and  has  engaged  old  Mrs. 
Margaret  Venable  (with  Miss  Mag)  to  rent  the  house  and  garden  and 
board  Alexander.  They  are  moving  in  to-day,  and  occupying  the  house 
Mr.  Peck  lived  in,  as  his  family  has  moved  to  Dr.  Wilson's. 

"Thus  I  have  run  gossiping  on,  until  I  have  consumed  my  time  and 
my  paper.  I  shall  write  to  Nash  also.  My  German  bell  is  ringing,  so 
Einen  Guten  Abend,  mcin  Brudcr. 

"Dein  frierlich,  R.  L.  D.\bney." 

It  is  a  matter  of  fact  that  his  affection  for  them  was  returned, 
often   with   interest.     Our   earlv   missionaries   consulted   him 


3i8         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

on  every  topic,  as  their  letters,  and  especially  Mr.  Lane's, 
show. 

His  labors  as  pastor  of  the  College  Church  through  all  these 
years  were  unremitting.  His  preaching  was  not  less  able  than 
it  had  been.  It  was  perhaps  more  severely  didactic.  He  did 
an  unusual  amount  of  pastoral  visiting,  availing  himself  of  odd 
moments  and  lulls  in  his  labor  of  study  and  writing.  No  people 
could  have  had  a  pastor  who  sympathized  more  with  them  on 
account  of  the  tide  of  calamities  that  had  overtaken  them  in 
the  war  and  in  consequence  of  the  war. 

During  this  period  his  literary  labors  were  also  heavy.  As 
results,  we  shall  find,  issued  in  the  early  seventies,  his  Sacred 
Rhetoric  and  the  first  print  of  his  Theology.  He  put  through 
the  press  in  New  York  his  books  on  Jackson  and  the  Defense 
of  Virginia  and  the  South,  in  these  years,  too ;  and  he  con- 
tributed to  various  newspapers,  periodicals  and  reviews.  Of 
his  more  notable  contributions  to  the  current  publications,  may 
be  named  his  "To  Major-General  Howard,"  which  appeared  in 
the  New  York  Weekly  Nezvs,  October  21,  1865;  his  "The 
Crimes  of  Philanthropy,"  which  appeared  in  The  Land  We 
Love,  December,  1866;  his  "Reply  of  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D., 
to  the  Letter  of  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Criticising  Dr.  Dab- 
ney's  Narrative  of  the  First  Battle  of  Manassas,"  which  was 
written  June  21,  1867,  and  appeared  in  the  Richmond  Dispatch ; 
his  "Ecclesiastical  Equality  of  Negroes,"  which  was  published 
as  a  pamphlet  in  1868;  his  "Duty  of  the  Hour,"  which  was 
delivered  before  the  students  of  Davidson  College,  in  June, 
1868;  his  "The  Partisanship  of  the  Spectator"  (London),  pub- 
lished in  the  Baltimore  Eclectic,  in  November,  1868;  his  "Posi- 
tivism in  England,"  which  was  published  in  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Review  for  April,  1869,  and  a  "Memorial  on  Theo- 
logical Education,"  to  the  Assembly  of  1869,  etc.,  etc.  In  this 
period  came  from  his  pen  an  exquisite  bit,  entitled  "The 
Matron  of  the  Virginia  that  Was."  It  was  published  in  the 
Central  Presbyterian,  November  20,  27  and  December  4,  1867. 
When  congratulated  on  it  by  Dr.  Hoge,  Dr.  Dabney  replied 
that  there  was  no  difficulty  in  its  production  to  one  who,  like 
himself,  was  blessed  with  one  of  them  in  his  own  mother ;  that 
he  had  only  to  hold  up  what  he  had  seen  in  his  own  early 
home,  and  paint  from  recollection.  It  was  in  reality  a  tribute  to 
his  mother. 

In  his  "To  Major-General  Howard,"  he  tells  the  North  what 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  319 

it  is  naturally  obliged  to  do  for  the  negroes  just  emancipated ; 
tells  why  this  obligation  is  on  the  North ;  and  tells  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  this  duty.  It  is  a  powerful  piece  of  reason- 
ing and  writing.  It  is  as  if  the  spirit  of  the  down-trodden, 
but  unconquered,  South  had  arisen,  and,  in  the  majesty  of  right, 
were  giving  the  law  to  the  seeming  conquerors.  His  "The 
Crimes  of  Philanthropy"  is  a  scorching  but  perfectly  just, 
review  of  the  current  infidel  humanitarianism.  His  "Reply  to 
Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston"  is  a  pulverizing  performance  of  high 
order.^  The  pamphlet  entitled  Ecclesiastical  Equality  of  Ne- 
groes is  the  reproduction  of  a  speech  delivered  in  the  Synod 
of  Virginia  in  1867,  in  which  he  let  himself  loose.  Dr.  Dabney 
once  gave  the  following  account  of  it : 

"The  crotchet  of  ecclesiastical  amalgamation  with  the  negroes  began 
to  find  advocates  in  our  church  upon  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy. 
Among  those  in  Virginia  were  Drs.  J.  T.  Leftwich  and  A.  W.  Pitzer, 
who  drew  even  such  men  as  Drs.  Atkinson  and  Peck  to  their  side;  the 
latter  two  influenced  more  by  the  spirit  of  romantic  magnanimity  and 
self-sacrifice  than  by  sound  logic.  The  argument  was  that  since  the 
negro  was  now  free,  and  going  soon  to  be  a  citizen,  we  must  also  give 
the  equal  ecclesiastical  rights  in  our  church,  despite  our  dislike  of  his 

''  On   seeing  Dr.   Dabney's   reply  to   General   Johnston,   Dr.   Hunter 

McGuire  wrote :  ,^  -,r        ^ 

Richmond,  Va.,  June  21,  1867. 

"My  Dear  Major  :  I  am  sure  that  every  one  interested  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  late  war  will  thank  you  for  the  dignified  and  exceedingly  able 
reply  which  you  have  made  to  General  Johnston's  letter,  criticising  your 
account  of  the  First  Manassas  battle.  In  my  anxiety  to  see  the  mis- 
representations contained  in  General  Johnston's  letter,  corrected,  I  was 
presumptuous  enough  to  write  to  you  and  ask  permission  to  answer  it 
myself,  but  before  mailing  my  letter,  I  concluded  that  you  would 
probably  attend  to  it  yourself,  and  that  a  reply  from  you  would  be  more 
thorough  and  conclusive,  and  come  with  much  greater  force  than  any- 
thing which  an  obscure  person  like  myself  could  say."     .     . 

[After  going  into  the  discussion  of  the  subject  at  some  length,  and 
in  an  able  way.  Dr.  McGuire  continues.] 

"I  intended  simply  to  thank  you  for  your  answer  to  Johnston,  and  as 
a  friend  to  congratulate  you  upon  the  masterly,  complete  and  manly 
way  in  which  you  have  done  it,  and  you  must  pardon  me  for  letting  my 
interest  in  the  subject  lead  me  to  write  so  long  and  hasty  a  letter.  I 
hope  to  be  able  to  go  to  house-keeping  next  month,  and  whenever  3'ou 
happen  to  be  here,  I  hope  you  will  stay  with  me.  I  may  be  obliged  to 
give  you  no  better  than  a  soldier's  fare,  but  I  can  always  insure  you  a 
hearty  welcome.  Yours  very  truly,  Hunter  McGuire." 


320         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

race  and  color.  They  quoted  the  Apostle's  declaration,  that  in  Christ 
all  are  one,  Greek  and  Barbarian,  male  and  female,  bond  and  free.  Of 
course,  they  drew  a  non  scquitur,  but  it  was  hard  to  make  them  see  it. 
Our  Synod  was  sitting  in  Charleston,  Jefferson  county,  W.  Va.  One 
morning  I  was  walking  and  conferring  with  Dr.  J.  Leighton  Wilson, 
and  in  my  absence  a  resolution  in  favor  of  this  amalgamation  was 
actually  passed  through  the  Synod  hurriedly.  When  I  got  to  the  church 
the  Rev.  Walker  Gilmer  told  me  of  it,  and  said  that  he  and  other  alumni 
of  mine  wanted  me  to  get  the  thing  reconsidered,  and  speak  on  it.  It 
was  all  a  shocking  surprise  to  me.  I  told  them  that  if  they  could  get  the 
thing  fairly  on  the  floor  again,  I  would  speak  on  it.  This  was  done 
after  a  good  deal  of  opposition,  much  through  the  influence  of  old  Dr. 
Converse.  Leftwich  then  took  the  floor,  with  a  very  neat  and  eloquent, 
but  inconsequential  speech.  I  then  got  the  floor,  and  spoke  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour.  My  speech  was  almost  impromptu,  but  it  was,  of 
course,  the  result  of  previous  thought,  which  I  rapidly  threw  into  logical 
order  and  connection  while  Leftwich  was  speaking,  by  a  supreme  act  of 
mental  concentration.  .  .  .  This  was  one  of  two  occasions  in  which 
I  fully  let  myself  loose  in  forensic  debate.  I  was  outraged  and  about 
desperate.  I  knew  that  this  negro  amalgamation  would  ruin  our  church. 
I  felt  that  it  was  a  moment  of  life  and  death  for  the  church.  I  resolved, 
therefore,  to  fight  like  a  man  striking  for  life  or  death,  to  drop  every 
restraint,  and  to  give  full  swing  to  every  force  of  argument,  emotion, 
will,  and  utterance." 

The  speech  made  a  powerful  impression,  and  probably  began 
the  turning  of  the  tide  for  the  whole  church.  It  sounded  the 
key-note  which  regulated  the  subsequent  legislation  of  the  As- 
sembly, providing  ultimately  for  a  separate  but  affiliated  Afri- 
can organization.  A  leading  elder  of  the  Synod  pronounced 
the  speech  to  be  the  finest  that  he  had  ever  heard  from  any 
man,  on  any  subject.  Diligent  attempts  were  made  to  sustain 
the  debate  on  the  opposite  side.  Dr.  John  Leyburn  and  Major 
Thomas  J.  Kirkpatrick  were  two  of  the  most  "anxious 
speakers"  on  the  other  side.  While  they  were  speaking.  Dr. 
William  Brown  sidled  up  to  Dr.  Dabney  and  whispered,  "You 
will  wish  to  reply,  and  I  will  manoeuvre  to  get  the  floor  for 
you  again."  But  Dr.  Dabney  said:  "No;  I  have  shot  my 
bolt,  and  I  think  it  will  stick  of  itself.  I  think  I  may  say  to 
these  gentlemen  what  a  brawny  Scotch  fishwoman  said  to  her 
boy  after  she  let  him  down  off  her  knees  from  a  sound  spank- 
ing, 'Weel,  me  little  man.  ye  may  squirm  and  ye  may  squeak, 
and  ye  may  rub,  but  ye'll  na  rub  that  spanking  off  ye  vera 
sune.'  "     He  took  no  further  part  in  the  debate.     The  Synod 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  321 

rescinded  the  objectionable  resolution,  and  recommended  the 
plan  proposed  by  him  to  the  Assembly.*' 

When  Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer  read  a  copy  of  this  speech,  he  wrote: 

"It  is  exceedingly  gratifying  to  peruse  so  strong  a  defence  of 
opinions  held  by  myself  and  articulately  and  publicly  announced  by  me 
some  three  years  ago,  and  which,  as  you  have  doubtless  seen,  were 
briefly,  but  suggestively  thrown  out  in  my  Washington  and  Lee  address. 
There  prevails  in  all  parts  of  our  church  a  sickly  religious  sentiment, 
which  would  have  wrought  immense  damage  if  it  had  not  been  held 
in  check  by  an  infinitely  wise  and  gracious  Providence.  The  air  of  piety 
which  this  sentiment  appears  to  breathe  so  far  commanded  my  respect 
as  to  lead  me  to  ponder  long  and  carefully  my  own  conclusions,  which 
were  averse  to  it.  Reflection,  however,  only  deepened  my  own  convic- 
tions, and  I  have:  been  long  prepared  to  plant  myself  firmly  on  the  ground 
which  you  have  more  rapidly  and  intuitively  taken."  ' 

°  Dr.  A.  C.  Hopkins,  the  pastor  of  the  church  in  which  the  Synod  sat, 
has  given  the  following  account  of  this  speech : 

"Before  that  Synod  came  the  question  of  ordaining  negro  ministers 
to  serve  in  our  church.  The  minutes  of  that  Synod  will  show  the  forms 
in  which  that  question  came  up.  There  were  present  one  hundred  mem- 
bers, and  a  very  large  crowd  of  deeply  interested  visitors.  The  state  of 
public  affairs,  both  civil  and  military,  had  made  feelings  very  sensitive 
and  warm,  and  the  knowledge  that  the  question  of  negro  ordination  was 
to  come  before  Synod,  kindled  these  feelings  to  a  glow.  In  anticipation 
of  this  question.  Dr.  Dabney  expressed  privately  his  reluctance  to  dis- 
cuss it.  In  the  earlier  stages  of  the  question  before  the  Synod,  he 
maintained  silence. 

"But  the  time  and  the  occasion  arrived.  He  got  the  floor  and  began. 
It  was  like  the  breaking  of  the  dam  above  Johnstown,  and  at  Austin. 
He  began  by  repudiating  all  responsibility  for  the  necessity  that  was  laid 
upon  him,  and  soon  launched  out  upon  his  argument  from  Scriptures, 
from  primary  judgments,  and  from  history,  growing  more  impetuous  as 
he  proceeded.  He  loved  and  esteemed  the  brethren  who,  it  was  known, 
were  opposed  to  him,  but  conscience,  judgment  and  feeling  urged  him 
on  in  fierce  eloquence  to  combat  their  opinions,  and  to  condemn  and 
deplore  the  consequences  of  admitting  negroes  as  ministers  in  our 
church  courts.  His  voice  trembled  with  emotion,  his  frame  shook,  his 
eyes  snapped  fire,  and  his  arms  flew  vigorously  in  all  directions.  His 
audience  was  held  in  the  agony  of  suppressed  emotion.  It  was  difficult 
to  judge  which  were  more  stifled  by  suppression,  those  who  agreed  with 
him  or  those  who  differed  from  him.  Some  of  the  visitors  were  fairly 
alarmed.  When  he  finished,  we  felt  as  men  feel  when  a  tornado  has 
just  swept  by  them.  We  drew  a  long  breath  to  relieve  the  lungs." 
'  Letter  December  30,  1872,  to  Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney. 
21 


322         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Thenceforth  things  moved  toward  the  estabhshment  of  an 
independent  African  Presbyterian  Church.  There  have  been 
counter  movements,  it  is  true ;  but  the  movement  for  a  separate 
negro  church  has  prevailed. 

His  "Duty  of  the  Hour"  is  a  strong  and  noble  oration,  in 
which  he  exhorts  his  hearers  against  the  deterioration  of  the 
spirit  of  honor,  rectitude  and  conscience.  "A  brave  people  may, 
for  a  time,  be  overpowered  by  brute  force,  and  be  neither  dis- 
honored nor  destroyed.  Its  life  is  not  in  the  outward  organiza- 
tion of  its  institutions.  It  may  be  stripped  of  these,  and  clothe 
itself  in  some  diverse  garb,  in  which  it  may  resume  its  growth. 
But  if  the  spirit  of  independence  and  honor  be  lost  among  the 
people,  this  is  the  death  of  the  common  weal ;  a  death  on  which 
there  awaits  no  resurrection.  Dread,  then,  this  degradation  of 
spirit  worse  than  defeat,  than  subjugation,  than  poverty,  than 
hardship,  than  prison,  than  death."  His  review  of  "Positivism 
in  England"  is  masterful  and  comprehensive  in  its  breadth  of 
treatment,  clearly  and  powerfully  written,  so  that  "every  sen- 
tence can  be  felt  as  well  as  understood." 

It  called  forth  the  following  letter  from  Dr.  Kirkpatrick, 
then  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  Washington 
and  Lee : 

"Lexington,  Va.,  June  14,  1873. 
The  Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D. 

"My  Dear  Sir:  The  Southern  Rez'iezv  of  April,  i86g,  contained  an 
article  entitled  "Positivism  in  England,"  of  which,  I  have  learned  from 
the  most  credible  sources,  you  are  the  author.  I  read  it  with  a  degree 
of  satisfaction  I  have  rarely  found  in  the  perusal  of  any  similar  discus- 
sion, and  I  have  reason  to  know  that  I  was  not  singular  in  my  very 
high  estimate  of  its  ability  and  value.  Indeed,  I  have  been  informed  by 
a  gentleman  who  was  connected  with  the  Revieiv  at  the  time  the  article 
appeared,  that  it  attracted  unusual  attention  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  and  that  a  very  general  desire  was  manifested,  by  men  who 
think  as  well  as  read,  to  ascertain  the  name  and  locale  of  the  writer. 
Some  appeared  not  a  little  incredulous  when  told  that  he  is,  by  birth, 
education  and  residence,  a  Southern  man. 

"I  have  often  had  occasion  to  regret  that  the  article  in  the  Rez'iezu 
has  not  been  published  in  a  form  conveniently  accessible  to  all  who  take 
an  interest  in  the  subjects  of  which  it  treats.  I  have  wished,  time  after 
time,  to  put  it  into  the  hands  of  the  members  of  my  classes  in  the 
institution  with  which  I  am  connected.  Many  persons  to  whom  I  have 
mentioned  it  have  expressed  a  similar  desire,  and  more  than  once  I 
have  been  on  the  point  of  writing  to  you,  suggesting  the  propriety  of 
your  publishing  it  in  a  separate  volume,  either  with  or  without  enlarge- 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  323 

ment  or  other  change,  as  you  might  think  best.  I  am  sure  such  a  step 
would  do  much  good  in  several  respects,  and  I  cannot  think  it  would 
impose  on  you  any  pecuniary  loss.  The  work  would  be  timely — nothing 
could  be  more  so :  it  is  much  needed.  'Positivism,'  as  a  form  of  specu- 
lative philosophy,  is  infecting  the  minds  of  thousands  in  our  country,  of 
many  even  in  the  South,  who  have  not  sufficient  acquaintance  with 
psychology  or  with  ethics  to  perceive  the  groundlessness  of  its  assump- 
tions, or  its  dangerous  tendencies.  It  is  vain  to  expect  that  such  persons 
will  undertake  any  refutation  of  the  errors  in  question,  that  comes  in 
the  shape  of  a  ponderous  volume,  alarming  them,  in  advance  of  any 
attempt  to  read  it,  by  the  multitude  of  the  topics  it  discusses,  and  the 
array  of  learned  citations  with  which  its  pages  bristle.  They  contracted 
the  poison  from  the  magazines  and  reviews ;  what  they  need  is  the 
corrective  presented  in  a  resume,  like  your  article,  to  which  I  have 
referred — brief,  clear,  incisive,  and  forcible,  written  in  a  style  that  makes 
every  sentence  felt  as  well  as  understood. 

"May  I  beg  you,  my  dear  sir,  to  give  this  suggestion  a  serious  con- 
sideration, I  know  that  your  time  is  much  occupied  with  your  official 
duties.  Still,  I  hope  it  will  admit  of  the  labor  which  this  service,  if  you 
should  think  it  best  to  undertake  it,  would  involve. 

"I  am,  very  truly  yours,  J.  L.  Kirkpatrick.'" 

His  "Memorial  on  Theological  Education"  contemplates  im- 
portant changes  in  the  process  of  theological  education,  em- 
bracing changes  in  the  existing  relations  of  theological  semi- 
naries to  the  Assembly,  changes  in  the  methods  of  imparting 
instruction  by  the  professors,  in  the  recognition  of  grades  of 
proficiency  among  the  students  by  the  faculty  giving  instruc- 
tion, in  the  organization  and  powers  of  the  directory  of  the 
seminary,  and  as  to  the  subject  of  natural  sciences.  The  As- 
sembly of  1869  resolved  that  the  memorial  be  referred  to  the 
faculty  and  directors  of  each  seminary,  and  that  they  report 
to  the  next  Assembly.  The  report  received  more  or  less  atten- 
tion in  each  Assembly  till  1872,  when  the  matter  was  dropped 
without  the  desired  ecclesiastical  action.  It  is  a  very  able  paper, 
and  ought  to  be  read  by  the  whole  church  from  time  to  time, 
and  pondered  deeply  by  those  busied  in  theological  education. 

During  this  period  he  had  done  his  full  average  of  writing 
for  the  Central  Presbyterian,  sometimes  over  his  own  name, 
and  sometimes  furnishing  editorials. 

Dr.  Dabney  felt  the  social  changes  incident  upon  the  issues 
of  the  war  keenly  in  his  domestic  life.  He  had  been  a  very 
kind  but  an  exacting  master.  The  service  of  free  negroes  he 
found  very  unsatisfactory.      This  was  part  cause  of  his  giving 


.324         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

up  housekeeping,  and  boarding  his  family,  in  the  latter  part 
•of  1866.  He  thus  writes  to  his  mother  of  the  change,  on  the 
^Qth  of  December,  1866: 

"I  believe  many  of  my  friends  think  I  am  crazy  in  doing  this,  but  I 
am  very  sure  that  it  is  best  under  the  circumstances;  for  a  family  with 
children  to  board  is  far  from  the  most  desirable  way,  and  if  things  were 
as  they  used  to  be,  I  should  never  have  thought  of  it  at  all ;  but  keeping 
house  here,  with  free  negroes,  a  constant  round  of  company  and  trouble- 
some neighbors,  is  intolerable  slavery,  both  to  Lavinia  and  myself.  I 
never  had  as  much  trouble  and  vexation  in  all  my  life  besides  about 
domestic  matters  as  I  have  had  in  the  last  two  years ;  but  the  trouble 
and  drudgery  are  not  the  chief  personal  considerations  with  me.  It  is 
the  terrible  consumption  of  my  time,  in  the  mere  work  of  a  hostler,  day 
laborer,  and  house  servant,  which  I  begrudge.  I  have  almost  ceased  to 
study,  and  in  a  few  years  more  I  should  be  a  mere  drone  in  the  ministry, 
if  I  should  go  on  as  I  have.  Another  motive  with  me  was  precautionary 
necessity.  My  salary  will  by  no  means  support  my  establishment,  with 
the  worthlessness,  wastefulness,  and  stealings  of  the  negroes.  These 
things,  and  the  desire  to  make  an  opportunity  for  Lavinia  to  spend  the 
vacation  away  from  this  place,  determined  me  to  try  it  for  a  year  or 
two.  I  have  rented  the  whole  place  for  a  year  to  Mrs.  J.  T.  Thornton 
(widow  of  Col.  John  T.  Thornton)  for  four  hundred  dollars.  I  reserve 
two  rooms,  and  eat  with  her,  paying  her  $110  per  month  board.  Large 
as  this  seems,  it  will  be  a  decided  economy  to  me.  I  have  a  sofa  bed- 
stead (a  most  convenient  thing),  which  is  a  sofa  by  day  and  a  bed  by 
night,  in  the  study,  where  Charley  sleeps.  Charles  Johnson  [his  nephew] 
will  have  a  sleeping  place  fixed  up  in  the  Seminary,  for  the  present. 
.Lavinia  and  I  occupy  a  room  upstairs,  the  one  over  the  chamber." 

TFrom  this  time  on  we  shall  find  him  and  his  family,  now 
"keeping  house  and  now  boarding.  It  ought  to  be  said  that, 
in  boarding,  he  always  made  provision  for  guests,  paying  a 
price  large  enough  to  have  a  guest  or  two  all  the  time,  if  he 
chose.  In  spite  of  the  exclamation  about  company,  in  the  letter 
just  quoted,  he  was  one  of  the  most  hospitable  of  men,  especially 
in  regard  to  the  students. 

Throughout  these  years  he  was  the  stay  of  his  mother's 
family.  The  times  in  the  South  were  awful.  When  any  of 
his  brothers  or  sisters  fell  into  financial  straits,  he  not  only 
came  to  their  aid  with  excellent  advice,  given  in  a  most  kindly 
and  unirritating  manner,  but  with  material  aid.  They  had 
leaned  on  him,  in  a  way.  from  the  time  he  was  a  boy  of  thirteen, 
and  they  found  him  a  solid  staff  of  comfort  and  support  in 
these  trving  vears.     Letters  to  him  from  nearly  every  member 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  325 

of  his  family,  in  this  period,  pronounce  and  prove  him  to  have 
been  one  of  the  best  of  brothers. 

Standing  in  such  a  relation  to  his  brothers  and  sisters,  he 
devoted  himself  also  in  special  assiduity  to  the  care  of  his  aged 
and  venerated  mother.  A  considerable  part  of  the  first  green- 
backs he  got  after  the  war  went  to  the  purchase  of  various 
suitable  articles  of  apparel  for  her,  which  were  called  for  by 
her  age.  He  continued  his  watch  over  her  health,  her  financial 
affairs,  and  her  happiness.  His  letters  to  her  show  an  homage 
the  like  to  which  they  show  for  hardly  any  mortal  besides. 

Poor  as  he  was  during  this  period,  he  helped  many  of  his 
less  fortunate  neighbors  to  their  feet,  lending  his  aid  always 
in  a  way  adapted  to  the  individual  case.  He  thus  bound  them 
to  him  as  with  hooks  of  steel. 

At  the  close  of  this  period,  in  May,  1869,  there  can  be  no 
question  that  Dr.  Dabney  was  mentally  greater  than  he  had 
ever  been  before.  Nor  should  there  be  question  that  he  had 
improved  morally.  Some  have  supposed  that  he  had  become 
soured  and  embittered  by  the  issue  of  the  war,  and  that  he  had 
really  changed  for  the  worse,  from  a  moral  point  of  view.  It 
is  true  that  the  iron  had  entered  into  his  soul  as  it  had  into  that 
of  few  men.  He  saw  and  realized  as  few  did,  or  could  do, 
what  had  happened  to  his  country  as  first  consequence  of  sub- 
jugation. He  never  forgot  the  awful  sufferings  through  which 
his  State  and  the  Confederacy  had  passed.  He  never  forgot 
the  ruthlessness  of  the  invaders.  He  never  forgot  the  justice 
of  his  cause,  and  his  section's.  He  never  forgot  the  injury 
inflicted  on  the  South,  in  waging  war  upon  her,  in  wrenching 
away  millions  of  her  property,  in  drenching  her  soil  with  her 
best  blood.  He  never  failed  to  see  the  awful  consequences  of 
subjugation  in  the  declining  civic  integrity,  in  the  growth  of 
political  trickery  and  indirection.  In  all  this  he  did  well.  It 
is  really  to  his  honor  to  have  been  able  to  see  the  truth  as  clearly 
as  he  did,  and  to  have  stood  with  such  singular  resolution  for 
his  convictions.  It  is  another  proof  of  the  greatness  of  his 
mind  and  character.' 

Nevertheless,  it  must  be  said  that  he  was  too  hopeless  of  his 
country  and  his  church.  The  church  did  not  move  to  the  bad 
as  rapidly  as  he  said  it  would.  It  did  not  debouch  itself  into 
the  Northern  Assembly,  according  to  his  predictions,  in  thirty 
years.  God  was  better  to  it  than  he  hoped.  Nor  is  the  South 
as  much  like  Mexico  as  he  feared  it  would  speedily  become. 


;^26         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

His  predictions  have  been  justified  but  in  part.  In  the  provi- 
dence of  the  King  of  kings,  other  forces  have  been  brought 
into  play  on  our  country,  which  have  helped  the  South  to  rid 
itself  of  the  incubus  of  negro  control ;  and  integrity  at  the 
polls  and  honest  citizenship  is  reasserting  itself  in  quarters 
where  it  gave  little  promise  of  revival  thirty  years  ago.  Dr. 
Dabney,  in  this  chapter,  reminds  us  somewhat  of  Martin  Luther 
in  his  later  life.  They  were  both  heroes  of  faith ;  but  they 
each  failed  at  times  to  look  confidently  enough  on  the  Lord 
as  a  factor  in  the  present  life  of  the  world.  They  saw  that 
devils  and  men  were  working  to  bring  things  to  the  bad.  Had 
Dr.  Dabney  brought  out,  along  with  all  his  powerful  representa- 
tions of  the  way  things  looked  to  him.  of  the  evils  brought  upon 
the  country  by  war  and  reconstruction,  the  view  that  even 
our  war  may  have  been  but  a  step  in  God's  lifting  the  world, 
the  state  and  the  church  to  higher  perfection,  it  would  have 
been  but  a  suitable  recognition  of  the  finiteness  of  every  human 
mind's  grasp,  and  would  have  given  the  needed  ray  of  hope 
to  his  brethren  and  fellow-citizens,  and  himself. 

Notwithstanding  this  criticism,  he  was  in  these  years  one 
of  the  grandest,  if  not  the  grandest,  of  the  exponents  oi  that 
which  was  best  in  the  old  South.  He  had  eyes  to  see,  a  mind 
to  comprehend,  a  power  to  love  the  good  and  hate  the  evil. 
He  could  reach  worthy  convictions,  and  he  could  die  for  them, 
and  he  was  ready  to  do  it.  "A  grand  man !"  even  those  who 
differ  with  him  ought  to  say. 

Had  he  been  less  a  Christian,  he  would  never  have  lived  in 
the  South  after  her  surrender  longer  than  suflficed  for  escape. 
But  he  was  saved  to  it  by  the  grace  of  God ;  and  that  grace, 
working  through  his  simple  and  great  manhood,  was  to  do 
much  for  the  church  and  the  state  for  about  three  decades 
longer. 

It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  he  could  relax  for  a  few  weeks 
during  this  sombre  period,  and  we  shall  take  leave  of  him  in 
this  chapter,  as  he  writes  from  the  Rockbridge  Alum  as  follows  : 

"Alum  Springs,  Monday.  August  lo,  1868. 
"My  De.\rest  Wife:  I  proceed  now,  according  to  my  promise,  to 
write  to  you,  not  that  I  have  anything  much  to  say,  except  the  gossip 
of  the  Springs,  which  is  the  lightest  of  material.  First,  I  am  and  have 
been  very  well  :  I  drink  the  water  some,  and  gargle  with  it  very  perti- 
naciously, and  I  think  it  is  doing  my  throat  some  good.  I  never  have 
much  appetite  while  here,  for  my  mouth  is  so  puckered  up  that  I  can 
hardly  taste  what  I  eat :    Init  the  fare  is  very  good. 


Period  of  Desire  to  Emigrate.  327 

"The  company  here  is  not  large,  and  contains  very  few  of  my  acquaint- 
ances. Leander  McCormick  is  here  with  his  family,  and  Mrs.  Shields, 
now  a  widow,  who,  I  think,  was  Caroline  Adams,  who  is  attached  to 

McCormick.    I  got  introduced  to  the  set,  chiefly  that  I  might  see 

whether   Miss   would   allude   to   the   very   intimate    intercourse 

between  their  family  and  you  last  spring  in  New  York.  She  mentioned 
the  subject  immediately,  with  very  polite  emprcsscment,  and  said  how 
much  disappointed  her  aunt  and  she  had  been  to  miss  you  when  they 
called  at  the  hotel  for  you.  I  understood  her  to  say  that  they  called  the 
second  day.  I  waived  the  matter  very  courteously,  and  so  it  ended. 
She  is  the  Miss  Squallerini  of  the  ladies'  parlor  at  present.  I  had  the 
honor  of  singing  bass  to  her  last  night  in  a  few  sacred  melodies.  She 
sings  sacred  melodies  better  than  secular,  because  her  great  affectation 
IS  then  curbed.  My  other  acquaintances  are  young  Tom  Price,  and  his 
pretty  little  wife;  Henry  Baskerville,  Esq.  (two  years  older  than  I  am, 
with  his  new  wife,  just  the  age  and  looks  of  Aggy  Watkins),  Mrs. 
Guthrie  and  her  party,  and  Mrs.  Dold  and  Pet  Brooks.  Finding,  that 
the  Red  Sulphur  did  not  suit  them,  they  came  here  Saturday.  Pet  is 
improving  some,  and  would  improve  if  she  would  stay  here.  Mrs. 
Guthrie  is  again  laid  up  (with  cold,  as  I  hear),  and  I  have  not  seen  her 
for  forty-eight  hours.  I  fear  she  is  getting  no  profit  here.  There  are  a 
number  of  Southern  people  here,  nearly  all  of  whom  know  me  by  repu- 
tation. I  preached  yesterday  morning,  by  invitation  of  William  Frazier, 
in  the  ball-room,  to  a  tolerably  large  and  very  respectful  audience ;  my 
sermon  on  the  internal  evidences,  the  one  I  preached  at  the  University. 
I  let  myself  loose  pretty  much,  and  made  the  fashionables,  who  were 
composing  themselves  for  a  genteel  doze,  wake  up,  whether  they  would 
or  not.  This  morning  several  Presbyterians  have  made  acquaintance 
with  me ;  one  an  elder  named  Atchison,  from  Galveston,  and  one  an 
elder  named  Moore,  from  Snow  Hill,  Maryland.  He  says  he  lives 
twenty  miles  from  Salisbury,  that  Dr.  Todevine  there  married  his  aunt 
(or  wife's  aunt),  and  that  he  knows  Flournoy  very  well.  He  also  wants 
a  Virginia  preacher  for  Snow  Hill.     How  would  Hitner  do? 

"I  am  spending  my  time  loafing  a  good  deal,  studying  some  and 
sleeping  a  plenty.  This  morning  (having  been  tempted  by  the  quiet  to 
read  very  late),  I  did  not  get  up  until  almost  eight  o'clock.  What  think 
you  of  that?  I  propose  to  carry  out  my  programme  for  returning  to 
Tinkling  Spring  Friday.  If  Mrs.  Guthrie  is  better,  she  will  go  also;  if 
not,  I  think  Mr.  Guthrie  had  better  come  out  and  see  about  her  himself. 
I  do  not  like  her  cough.  I  hope  you  and  the  dear  children  are  well,  and 
enjoying  yourselves.  The  climate  here  is  delightful,  warm  when  the 
sun  shines,  but  cool  in  the  evenings  and  mornings.  Tell  Charley  I  shall 
expect  him  to  know  all  about  that  first  book  of  geometry  when  I  return, 
and  to  be  sure  to  fatten  Bob,  and  to  keep  his  saddle  and  harness  out  of 
the  dirt. 

"Believe  me.  affectionately  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SETTLED  IN  VIRGINIA  AS  TEACHER,   WRITER,  MAN  AND 

PASTOR. 
(June,  1869— 1874.) 

Purchasing  a  Home  for  his  Family.— Picture  of  his  Life  at  the 
Time. — Labors  as  Teacher. — Influence-  on  Students. — Labors 
AS  Writer. — His  Sacred  Rhetoric. — Syllabus  and  Notes  of  the 
Course  of  Systematic  and  Polemic  Theology. — Review  Articles 
on  Religious  Themes. — Controversy  with  Dr.  Woodrow. — Politi- 
cal Writings. — Ecclesiastical  Services. — Moderator  of  the  As- 
sembly, 1870.  —  Great  Speech  against  Fusion  with  Northern 
Church. — Refutation  of  Dr.  Van  Dyke's  attempt  to  justify 
the  Fusion  of  the  New  and  Old  School,  North. — Friendly  to- 
ward THE  Movement  for  closer  Relations  between  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  and  the  Southern  Church. — Labors  inciden- 
tal to  his  Position  as  Teacher  and  Writer. — For  Deserving  Ob- 
jects OF  Benevolence. — The  Adviser  and  Stay  of  his  Mother's 
Family. — Loss  of  his  Mother. — Work  for  Hampden-Sidney  Col- 
lege.— Discontinuance  of  his  Relations  as  Pastor  of  the  Col- 
lege Church. — His  Home  Life. — Happiness  in  his  Sons. 

IT  has  been  seen  that  for  years  after  the  war  Dr.  Dabney 
seriously  meditated  emigration  to  some  other  country.  He 
seems  to  have  given  up  this  idea,  in  the  main,  about  1869.  He 
is  heard  still  later  expressing  the  hope  that  his  sons  may 
emigrate,  and  that  even  he  himself  mav  be  buried  in  a  foreign 
country ;  but  the  desire  to  move  away  ceased  to  have  much 
influence  upon  his  conduct.  He  had  found  out  that  he  could 
still  enjov  the  liberty  of  free  speech.  He  had  made  his  volume 
on  Jackson,  and  that  in  defence  of  Virginia  and  the  South, 
tests  of  this.  In  1869  he  began  the  purchase  of  a  property  in 
Amherst  county,  Va.,  by  buying  "Red  Hill,"  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres,  and  having  on  it  a  good  old  mansion  house. 

He  was  moved  to  the  purchase  of  a  home  by  two  consid- 
erations: his  health  was  imperfect,  and  he  naturally  desired 
a  home  for  his  wife  and  children  in  case  of  his  death ;  and  he 
was  on  the  hunt  for  a  safe  investment  for  his  little  savings. 
More  particularly,  he  seemed  to  be  threatened  at  the  time  with 


ROBERT  LEWIS  DABNEY,    D.  D.,  LI..  D. 
From  a  photograph  taken  in  1872. 


Settled  in  Virginia.  329 

a  derangement  of  the  heart's  action,  and  was,  therefore,  nervous 
about  himself,  and  about  the  circumstances  of  his  family  in  case 
of  his  being  taken  away.  He  tells  us,  too.  that  about  this  time 
he  had  received  two  impressive  object-lessons  on  the  subject  of 
families  left  unprovided.  One  of  these  was  that  of  his  aged 
and  venerated  colleague,  who  had  died  in  1868;  his  family  was 
soon  deprived  of  its  comfortable  house  on  the  campus.  The 
other  was  Mrs.  Samuel  C.  Anderson.  The  old  gentleman  had 
died  insolvent,  and  left  her  penniless  as  well  as  childless.  As 
Dr.  Dabney  was  paying  her  a  pastoral  visit,  she,  though  on  a 
sick  bed,  took  occasion  to  say  to  him,  "My  son,  get  your  wife  a 
home ;  you  see  my  condition."  These  lessons  were  not  lost  on 
him.  Mindful  that  a  trusted  physician  had  pronounced  his  life 
uncertain,  he  felt  obliged  to  act. 

The  question  was,  "Where  shall  I  buy?"  He  knew  that  in 
the  Valley  of  Virginia  "the  really  fine  lands  were  held  at  fancy 
prices."  He  did  not  desire  to  own  the  mean  lands  of  the  valley. 
He  knew,  indeed,  that  really  fine  homes  in  Eastern  Virginia 
could  be  bought  for  a  mere  song;  but  he  did  not  want  them, 
"because  the  country  w'as  becoming  malarious  and  was  fatally 
negro-ridden."  In  his  judgment,  the  Piedmont  country  offered 
his  best  chance:  "salubrious,  admirably  watered,  with  portions 
of  red  land  just  as  valuable  as  the  best  of  the  Valley,  moderate 
in  price,  and  rapidly  becoming  the  white  man's  country."  After 
some  examination,  he  settled  upon  "Red  Hill"  at  five  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  He  had  saved  about  four 
thousand  dollars  out  of  the  wreck  of  the  war  and  the  proceeds 
of  the  Life  of  Jackson,  and  other  earnings.  He  added  to  the 
"Red  Hill"  four  successive  purchases,  until,  in  1884,  he  had 
about  this  "noble  home"  nearly  seven  hundred  acres  of  land. 
The  estate  had  cost  him,  in  purchase-money,  about  eight' 
thousand  dollars,  and  he  expended  on  the  estate,  in  the  way 
of  buildings  and  enclosures,  something  like  two  thousand  dol- 
lars more.  This  place  became,  after  1874,  the  usual  summer 
retreat  of  his  family,  as  long  as  he  remained  in  Virginia ;  and 
had  he  remained  in  the  State  to  the  day  of  his  death,  it  would 
probably  have  proven  no  bad  investment.  After  his  removal 
to  Texas,  he  could  not  give  it  the  supervision  which  was  possible 
when  closer  by,  and,  consequently,  it  afforded  less  satisfaction 
and  pleasure. 

But  this  is  to  anticipate.  During  the  years  1869  to  1874, 
he  was  getting  out  of  the  purchase  all  the  pleasure  that  comes 


330         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

of  additional  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  strong  and  energetic. 
This  new  direction,  in  which  he  could  lay  himself  out,  received 
only  a  small  modicum  of  his  time  and  thought.  His  hands  were 
now  very  full  of  work.  He  gives,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Lane  and  Morton,  of  Brazil,  who  had  asked  a  special  service 
at  his  hands — the  raising  of  money  for  the  school  building  in 
Campinas — the  following  account  of  his  life : 

"The  suggestion  that  I  should  undertake  to  raise  a  few  thousand 
dollars  for  the  building,  and  so  forth,  I  take  in  good  part,  and  would  be 
very  glad  to  be  able  to  do  it.  Tied  here  as  I  am  during  the  session,  I 
can  do  nothing  save  by  correspondence,  and  not  much  of  that,  for  the 
care  of  a  considerable  pastoral  charge  and  the  duties  in  the  Seminary, 
with  the  enhanced  weight  of  correspondence  and  miscellaneous  business 
growing  out  of  our  present  number  of  students,  leave  me  scarcely  time 
for  letter-writing;  and  letters  effect  but  little.  In  vacation,  when  one 
might  think  I  should  have  much  leisure,  the  charge  again  interferes 
much.  That  is  my  time  for  pastoral  visiting.  Then  my  private  affairs 
and  family,  wholly  neglected  during  session,  and  my  relatives,  many  of 
them  in  destitute  circumstances ;  the  demands  of  our  crippled  Presby- 
tery for  missionary  labor,  leave  me  very  little  chance,  again,  to  go  from 
home ;  and  the  city  people  are  then  off  rusticating.  To  show  that  I  do 
not  postpone  public  duties  to  my  private  interests,  let  me  relate  the 
history  of  my  personal  care  of  my  estate  in  Amherst  for  the  year  1871. 
My  last  previous  attention  to  it  had  been  in  May,  1870,  after  this 
fashion :  Leave  James  River  at  dawn  and  walk  to  my  house,  five  miles 
across  the  Tobacco  Row  Mountains,  to  breakfast.  Spend  one  day  in 
walking  over  a  part  of  the  estate  with  my  tenant.  Spend  this  night  till 
eleven  o'clock  in  business  settlements  and  instructions.  Up  at  2 :  30 
o'clock  A.  M.,  and  ride  and  walk  thirteen  miles  to  take  the  morning  train 
for  West  Hanover  Presbytery.  Well,  this  year  I  promised  myself  a 
fortnight  in  Amherst,  which  was  applied  after  this  fashion :  Go  direct 
to  the  Courthouse,  fifteen  miles  away  from  my  place,  and  preach  one 
week  there  for  Teese.  Go  to  my  place  and  spend  one  night,  leaving 
before  I  went  upon  the  plantation  at  all,  to  go  to  Teese's  Elon  Church, 
to  begin  a  meeting  for  him  there.  Preach  two  days  for  him  at  Elon 
imtil  Wailes  came.  Returned  to  my  place  Frida}-,  at  three  o'clock  p.  m., 
drenched  in  two  thunder  showers ;  snack,  ride  over  the  crops,  spend 
the  evening  to  eleven  o'clock  in  business  with  the  tenant,  and  up  at  2 :  30 
A.  M.,  Saturday  morning,  to  ride  the  thirteen  miles  to  morning  train,  so 
as  to  reach  home  in  Prince  Edward  Saturday  evening.  So  the  amount 
of  attention  for  one  twelve  months  was  from  three  to  eleven  p.  m." 

In  the  sequel  it  will  appear  that  he  did  find  time  to  assist 
these  brethren ;   but  of  that  in  due  time. 


Settled  in  Virginia.  331 

During  this  period  he  was  living  a  hfe  of  intense  effort,  pre- 
serving the  customs  of  his  youth  and  early  manhood.  "Almost 
every  day,"  says  one  of  his  sons,  "had  its  share  of  hard  phy- 
sical labor,  in  which  we,  his  sons,  participated.  This  consisted 
of  working  on  a  little  farm,  or  in  the  garden,  or  building  fences, 
or  carpenter's  work,  or  doing  something  of  the  hundred  and 
one  jobs  to  which  he  could  turn  his  hand  with  equal  facility." 
He  was  exceedingly  economical  of  his  time ;  and  "when  he  set 
to  anything,  he  drove  hard  without  wasting  time  over  prelimi- 
naries." This  was  his  method  in  manual  labor,  as  in  everything 
else.  "He  did  not  have  a  particle  of  false  shame  about  these 
things."  While  the  gentlemen  of  the  community  were  taking 
constitutional  strolls,  dressed  in  their  best,  he  might  be  seen, 
fittingly  dressed,  at  work  in  his  garden  or  otherwise. 

Most  of  his  more  pressing  correspondence  was  done  before 
breakfast.  The  forenoons  he  devoted  to  his  professional  labors, 
economizing  the  intervals  between  lectures  by  work  in  his  study 
or  at  the  Seminary.  The  afternoons  he  put  in  in  his  study 
until  he  felt  the  need  of  exercise,  and  then  he  went  to  some  hard 
physical  labor.  For  some  time,  at  Hampden-Sidney,  he  had 
a  regular  carpenter's  work-bench,  at  which  he  often  labored. 
After  supper  he  worked  steadily  until  about  eleven  o'clock,  and 
then  usually  retired.  He  did  not  like  to  work  continuously  for 
more  than  about  three  hours  on  the  stretch.  When  he  worked, 
he  worked.  After  three  hours,  he  needed  rest  or  change  of 
employment.  The  aggregate  amount  of  time  which  he  put  in, 
in  twenty-four  hours,  was  large.  He  read  little  in  these  years 
for  entertainment.  His  studies  took  his  time.  He  did  not'  take 
a  daily  newspaper,  feeling  that  it  would  be  a  waste  of  time  to 
read  it.  At  considerable  intervals  he  might  take  up  a  novel, 
and  then  sit  up  all  night  to  read  it  through,  though  it  is  believed 
that  he  rarely  did  this,  and  that  perhaps  he  did  not  at  this  time 
average  one  novel  a  year,  so  intense  was  his  effort  in  studies 
proper  to  his  calling. 

During  this  period  the  Seminary  prospered  greatly.  The 
endowment  was  growing;  and  especially  the  student  body. 
The  number  ran  up  from  thirty-five  in  1869  to  seventy-seven 
m  i874-'5.  This  increase  of  students  added  materially  to  the 
labors  of  the  professors,  and  stimulated  them  to  higher  en- 
deavor. Dr.  Dabney  was  reading  extensively,  thinking  in- 
tensely, and  producing  for  his  classes  lectures  at  once  profound 
and  comprehensive.     He  may  have  had.  as  he  supposed,  less 


332         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

of  freshness  and  enthusiasm  in  his  work  ;  but  he  had  a  growing 
mastery  of  it.  His  knowledge  had  become  wide  in  the  sphere 
of  theology,  and  was  growing  daily.  His  power  of  illustration 
of  the  abstract,  and  vivification  of  the  dry  by  the  splendid 
insight,  and  vigor  of  representation  were  increasing.  His  own 
interest  in  the  study  was  absorbing,  nor  did  his  students  notice 
any  relaxation  in  manner.  Certainly  his  ideals  for  them  became 
no  lower.  He  made  the  opening  address  of  the  session  i869-'70. 
His  subject  was  "Retirement."  He  began  with  the  thought 
that  often  eminent  servants  of  God  have  been  prepared  for  their 
work  by  a  season  of  seclusion,  instancing  Elijah,  John  the  Bap- 
tist, Moses,  the  twelve  disciples,  Paul ;  and  affirmed  that  the 
church  was  wise  in  appointing  for  those  who  were  to  be  her 
teachers  a  period  of  comparative  seclusion  from  the  world's 
bustle.    Arguing  this  affirmation,  he  gave  as  reasons : 

"I.  That  it  was  needed  for  mental  improvement.  In  the  actual  min- 
istry they  would  find  its  duties  multiform  and  exacting,  and  have  little 
command  of  their  time.  Hence  the  importance  of  systematic,  unbroken 
study,  which  should  lay  a  broad  foundation  of  methodized  and  practical 
knowledge,  which  should  drill  the  faculties  to  action,  making  regular 
and  vigorous  action  habitual  and  easy.  Very  few  become  scholars  after 
leaving  the  Seminary.  Now  is  your  time.  Away,  then,  with  the  notion 
that  this  precious  season  of  training  ought  to  be  broken  up  by  premature 
outdoor  labors.  Do  not  polish  the  sword  while  forging  it.  He  who  im- 
patiently breaks  away  from  self-training  to  outer  work  is  putting  harvest 
in  place  of  seed-time.  Contrast  the  picture  of  the  patience  of  the  dis- 
ciples with  Christ,  during  a  time  of  great  seeming  urgency. 

"2.  That  God  appoints  his  servants  seclusion  with  a  view  to  founding 
a  solid  and  well-regulated  piety.  Opportunity  is  needed  to  form  habits 
of  prayer,  to  cultivate  right  principles  and  aspirations,  to  confirm  the 
self-devoted  purpose,  to  learn  self-government,  to  wean  ourselves  from 
the  world,  and  become  spiritually  minded  before  the  distractions  of  a 
public  ministry  overwhelm  us.  Is  not  eminent  piety  very  necessary  in  a 
minister?  Care  of  others'  souls  will  leave  little  time  unbroken  for  care 
of  your  own. 

"Perpetual  solitude  tends  to  produce  morbid  and  exaggerated  char- 
acter. Partial  solitude  is  necessary  to  growth  of  a  vigorous  and  healthy 
soul.  He  who  lives  all  his  time  in  the  presence  of  others  becomes  a  prey 
to  conventionalities.  Current  example  becomes  his  sole  guide,  instead 
of  independent  thought  and  conscience.  Hence  the  man  of  mere  society 
is  unheroic,  without  individuality,  commonplace,  weak,  trivial  even  in 
his  virtues,  and  truckling  to  the  vox  populi. 

"Especially,  seclusion  must  be  had  for  quiet  self-acquaintance.  The 
retirement  before  the  active  life  should  be  a  season  of  constant  self- 


Settled  in  Virginia.  333 

examination  and  self-communion.  Nowhere  are  unconscious  carnal 
motives  so  loathsome  as  in  a  minister,  to  God  and  to  good  men.  Hence, 
the  demand  for  thorough  examination.  The  minister's  work  presents 
peculiar  temptations  to  conceit,  vanity,  ambition,  spiritual  pride,  self- 
indulgence,  selfishness  under  masks.  Ministers  are  in  great  danger  of 
coxcombry.  Hence  need  for  peculiar  caution  in  probing  self.  In  the 
bustle  of  an  active  ministry,  there  will  not  be  much  time  for  this.  Many 
enter  the  ministry  without  it,  whence  defects  and  foibles,  unseen  by 
themselves,  glaring  to  men  of  the  world,  which  mar  all  earlier  labors. 
Two  results  from  this :  The  more  favored  of  God  are  whipped  out  of 
their  conceit  by  hard  knocks  (painful  and  mortifying  experiences),  at 
the  cost  of  usefulness  of  their  prime.  The  meaner  succumb  and  sink 
into  clerical  drones.  To  avoid  these  lamentable  results  let  self- 
acquaintance  and  self-discipline  be  cultivated  now.  The  church  allows 
you  three  years  of  seclusion  in  which  to  do  it. 

"3.  The  teachers  and  rulers  of  the  church  need  knowledge  of  human 
nature.  This  can  only  be  had  by  solitude.  Paradox :  Men  talk  of 
knoivlcdgc  of  human  nature  gained  in  the  busy  haunts  of  society.  So 
there  is — a  knowledge  of  the  shallow  conventionalities,  of  the  current 
tricks  and  baseness,  which  mask  the  real  springs  of  action,  and  explain 
the  surface  traffic  of  men.  But  those  who  are  the  physicians  of  bodies 
retire  into  the  dissecting-room,  to  study  the  anatomy  of  the  patients' 
forms.  So  must  the  physicians  of  the  soul ;  but  whose  soul  shall  he 
dissect?  His  own.  The  diversion  of  constant  society  is  usually  suc- 
cessful in  enabling  a  man  to  hide  from  self  the  morbid  secrets  of  a 
ruined  nature.  The  process  of  self-anatomy  is  terrible  to  man's  self- 
love.  It  is  cruel  to  his  self-indulgence,  to  be  excluded  from  all  that  is 
external  and  thrown  inward  upon  himself;  but  it  must  be  done.  He 
who  would  cure  the  disease  of  sin  must  know  it.  Where  else  can  he 
probe  it  to  its  core,  save  in  his  own  self-consciousness?  It  requires  a 
stern  hand  to  hold  the  probe  where  it  is  searching  the  practitioner's  own 
nerves.  The  taste  may  be  bitter,  but  it  is  necessary.  It  may  provoke 
many  an  hour  of  almost  despairing  gloom.  It  may  lead  the  teacher  of 
souls  through  deep  experiences,  of  doubt,  fear  and  anguish;  but  it  is 
by  these  he  learns  his  healing  arts.  It  is  in  the  self-consumings  of 
solitude  that  he  learns,  in  the  utter  beggary  and  spiritual  hunger  of  a 
soul  thrown  on  its  own  resources,  what  are  the  wants  and  diseases  of 
our  nature,  and  what  its  true  glory;  but  he  who  would  be  faithful  to 
this  severe  task  must  separate  himself  from  the  distractions  of  society; 
he  wants  no  other  eye  to  pry  into  his  researches ;  he  must  study  in 
solitude. 

"This  is  the  higher  and  grander  knozvledge  of  human  nature,  which 
is  gained  in  the  solitary  inspection  of  nature  laid  bare  in  one's  own 
heart,  and  in  the  graphic  and  infallible  delineations  of  sacred  Scripture. 
It  is  here  that  the  masters  of  human  emotion  and  thought  have  learned 
the  skill  of  the  true  rates,  the  poet-prophet,  by  which  they  have  moved 


334         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men,  as  the  trees  of  the  wood  are  moved 
with  the  wind.  Thus  learned  Dante  in  the  solitude  of  exile.  Thus 
learned  Milton,  blind,  proscribed  and  poor,  lost  in  that  profoundest  of 
all  deserts,  the  solitude  of  mighty  thronging  London,  to  thrill  the  hearts 
of  the  ages  with  the  epic  harmonies  of  Eden.  Thus  did  Bunyan  learn, 
in  the  dungeon  of  Bedford,  to  body  forth  in  allegory,  the  unutterable 
experiences  of  all  Christians,  in  such  wise  that  as  long  as  the  church 
endures,  God's  people  will  delight  to  see  their  inner  selves  mirrored  in 
the  Pilgrims  Christian  and  Hopeful.  Thus  did  Luther  find  out  in  his 
solitary  musings  and  his  soul  conflicts,  in  the  monastery  of  Erfurt, 
where  his  masterhand  might  find  the  keys  of  the  human  heart,  in  the 
great  truths  of  the  freedom  of  conscience  and  justification  by  faith  alone, 
by  teaching  which  he  opened  up  a  new  life  for  Europe.  Monastic  life, 
with  all  its  perversions,  produced  not  a  little  of  the  moral  heroism  in 
the  middle  ages,  and  it  was  because  of  its  religious  solitudes.  We 
would  not  restore  monasticism;  we  would  avail  ourselves  of  its  advan- 
tages, without  its  extravagances  and  errors. 

"While  the  improvement  of  a  Seminary  course  does  not  involve  the 
neglect  of  the  body,  it  does  not  consist  with  large  social  pleasures.  It 
involves  diligence  in  study,  punctuality  in  secret  and  social  devotions, 
much  solitary  communion,  wise  improvement  of  the  delightful  oppor- 
tunities for  Christian  communion  with  kindred  spirits." 

Thus,  in  rough  outline,  ran  the  course  of  this  opening  ad- 
dress. Dr.  G.  B.  Strickler,  who  was  in  the  Seminary  as  a 
student  at  the  time,  says  Dr.  Dabney  used  regularly  to  preach 
away  from  the  institution  a  certain  percentage  of  the  new 
students ;  that  he  made  them  feel  that  they  were  not,  after  all, 
called.  He  set  the  ideals  so  high,  made  the  life  of  the  true 
candidate  and  minister  so  high  and  strenuous.  What  an  influ- 
ence such  a  man  exerts !  How  he  elevates  the  men  who  do 
stay  and  respond  to  his  teaching  and  example ! 

His  relations  to  his  students  were  in  every  way  highly 
approvable.  Says  Dr.  R.  P.  Kerr,  who  entered  the  institution 
in  the  autumn  of  1871  : 

"He  was  always  a  father  to  his  students,  gentle,  courteous  and  very 
considerate  in  our  short-comings.  I  shall  never  forget  a  debate  we  had 
in  the  old  chapel  on  the  'Divine  Right  of  Slavery,'  It  was  at  the  fort- 
nightly 'Rhetorical,'  in  which  the  Faculty  and  students  discussed  great 
questions.  In  the  debate  in  question,  Dr.  Dabney  presided,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  rules,  could  take  no  part  until  the  end,  when  he  made  the 
closing  address.  I  spoke,  together  with  three  or  four  others,  in  the 
negatives.  When  Dr.  Dabney's  turn  came  he  uttered  a  tremendous 
speech  on  the  affirmative,  and  said  some  pretty  severe  things  about  the 


Settled  in  Virginia.  335 

fellows  who  had  spoken  on  the  other  side.  It  was  a  subject,  as  every 
one  knows,  upon  which  he  had  very  strong  opinions  and  feelings,  and 
we  were  not  surprised  that  he  was  warm  in  the  argument.  Two  days 
afterwards  he  called  the  young  men  of  the  opposition  apart,  and  said, 
'Young  gentlemen,  I  do  not  wish  to  take  back  any  arguments  I  used  in 
the  debate.  The  positions  taken  then  I  have  defended  with  my  tongue, 
my  pen  and  my  sword,  but  I  was  unnecessarily  severe  in  dealing  with 
you,  and  I  wanted  to  tell  you  so.'  We  were  delighted,  and  not  a  little 
relieved,  and  wanted  to  hug  a  man  who,  holding  the  exalted  position  he 
did,  could  speak  like  that  to  four  or  five  boys  in  his  senior  class ;  and 
we  agreed  that  it  was  but  one  more  proof  of  Dr.  Dabney's  true  great- 
ness." ^ 

His  labors  as  a  writer  in  this  period  were  great.  Many  of 
his  lectures  were  reduced  to  proper  form  and  published.  His 
Sacred  Rhetoric,  lectures  on  the  preparation  and  delivery  of 
sermons,  were  reduced  to  their  final  cast  and  put  through  the 
press  under  the  aegis  of  our  Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publica- 
tion. This  is  an  exceedingly  well-written  book.  Dr.  Thomas 
E.  Peck  used  to  pronounce  it  the  finest  of  Dr.  Dabney's  pro- 
ductions, when  viewed  from  a  merely  literary  standpoint ;  and 
would  point  to  pages  standing  in  favorable  comparison  with 
the  pages  of  the  masters  of  literary  expression.  But  the  chief 
feature  of  the  book  is  its  strength.  There  is  not  a  weak  lecture 
in  it ;  there  is  not  a  trifling  nor  a  silly  page.  He  has  been 
charged  with  taking  too  narrow  a  gauge,  and  framing  a  rather 
Procrustean  bed  on  which  to  make  sermons.  The  latter  part 
of  the  charge  may  be  safely  taken  as  unfounded,  and  proceed- 
ing from  superficial  study.  His  course  of  lectures  might  have 
been  profitably  extended,  it  is  true.  On  the  other  hand,  his 
time  was  limited,  and  he  had  gathered  into  these  twenty-four 
lectures  everything  really  essential  to  a  good  course.  This 
volume  was  published  in  1870. 

In  1871,  the  Syllabus  and  Notes  of  the  Course  of  Systematic 
and  Polemic  Theology  was  first  published.  This  book  was  the 
result  of  more  research  and  profound  reflection  than  any  other 
Dr.  Dabney  ever  produced.  He  never  seemed  to  value  it  at  its 
real  worth,  perhaps  because  it  was  prepared  by  degrees,  and 
grew  from  year  to  year.  It  will  be  hard  to  name  any  similar 
work  marked  by  such  profound  insight  into  theology  and 
psychology,  and  yet  so  humble  and  reverent  in  tone.     It  was 

^  Letter  of  February  16,  1901,  to  Dr.  C.  W.  Dabney. 


336         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

not,  indeed,  written  with  much  attention  to  the  demands  of 
elegant  and  ornate  diction ;  nor  was  he  trying  to  make  himself 
clear  to  men  who  cannot  or  will  not  think.  The  lectures  of 
which  the  work  is  made  up  had  grown,  year  after  year,  into 
more  and  more  elaborate  briefs.  They  contained,  in  condensed 
form,  the  substance  of  what  he  delivered  in  the  class-room.  They 
were  as  compact  as  they  could  well  be  made,  rammed  full  of 
fact  and  thought,  very  powerfully  and  pungently  expressed, 
and  supposed  in  the  hearer  the  power  of  making  considerable 
single  strides  in  reasoning.  In  its  origin,  the  book  was  one  of 
notes  for  himself  to  lecture  from.  Hence,  as  he  was  possessed 
of  great  strength  and  ability  to  reason  rapidly  and  surely  with- 
out going  consciously  through  a  series  of  short  steps,  it  sup- 
poses in  its  reader  similar  ability.  There  are  pages  over  which 
many  men  must  toil  somewhat  to  understand  him.  because  they 
must  supply  for  themselves  steps  in  the  reasoning  processes — 
correct  reasoning  processes  though  they  be — a  step  or  so  which 
he  has  omitted.  A  subsequent  edition  of  the  work,  which  was 
much  fuller,  was  less  objectionable  on  this  score.  But  of  that 
later. 

The  first  edition  was  put  forth  under  the  following  circum- 
stances. In  the  year  1871,  Dr.  Dabney  found  that  the  students 
had  copies  of  his  written  lectures  almost  as  complete  as  his 
own.  produced  by  the  combined  efforts  of  the  best  note-takers 
amongst  previous  students,  and  that  these  copies  were  being 
multiplied  by  transcription  and  supplied  to  the  classes.  He 
perceived  that  while  he  was  delivering  his  lectures  his  students 
were  reading  ahead  of  him  from  manuscript  books  containing 
almost  the  words  he  was  about  to  utter.  He,  therefore,  deter- 
mined to  make  some  change  in  the  plan  of  teaching.  Accord- 
ingly, one  day  he  brought  to  the  senior  class  a  bundle  contain- 
ing his  whole  course  of  lectures  on  theology,  and  presented  it 
to  them.  In  a  few  days  he  received  a  message  from  the  class, 
asking  whether  the  lectures  were  theirs  to  do  what  they  pleased 
with  them.  He  answered,  "Yes ;  completely  yours.  Burn 
them  if  you  choose."  They  then  said  that  their  preference  was 
to  multiply  them  for  their  own  use  and  that  of  subsequent 
classes  by  printing  them  in  weekly  sheets  or  pamphlets.  He 
gave  his  consent.  They  appointed  Mr.  E.  C.  Gordon  (now 
the  Rev.  Dr.  E.  C.  Gordon,  of  Lexington,  Mo.)  as  editor,  and 
a  thousand  copies  were  gradually  printed  by  Dr.  E.  T.  Baird, 
of   Richmond,   Va.     These,   collected   into   an   octavo   paper- 


Settled  in  V^irginia.  337 

covered  volume,  constituted  the  first  edition  of  tlie  Theology. 
To  pay  for  the  paper  and  the  printing,  the  students  relied  upon 
a  voluntary  contribution  of  the  class  and  the  sale  of  numerous 
copies  to  junior  fellow-students,  and  to  ministers  and  others. 
As  the  end  of  the  session  approached,  Dr.  Dabney  ascertained 
that  they  still  owed  the  printer  between  two  hundred  and  three 
hundred  dollars.  He  told  them  that  he  would  pay  that  sum 
himself,  as  he  did  not  wash  them  to  disband  and  leave  the 
Seminary  in  debt.  They  accepted  his  proposition,  and  handed 
over  to  him  a  number  of  unsold  copies. 

For  convenience,  it  may  be  said  further  here  of  this  work, 
that  during  the  next  few  years  he  rewrote  large  parts  of  it 
and  added  much  new  matter,  and  secured  a  more  worthy  form 
of  it.  The  volume  brought  him  wide  reputation.  In  the  judg- 
ment of  many  of  the  ablest  theologians,  North  or  South,  it  is 
the  "profoundest  work  on  theology"  produced  in  our  country. 
He  is  in  this  work,  as  in  life,  a  moderate  but  thorough-going 
Calvinist ;  had  no  sympathy  with  the  distinction  between  supra 
and  sub-lapsarian ;  had  little  respect  for  the  quarrel  between 
the  advocates  of  immediate  and  mediate  imputation ;  was  not 
willing  to  be  counted  a  traducianist  or  a  creationist,  though 
indicating  without  the  slightest  hesitation  the  relative  strength 
of  the  two  positions,  and  arguing  for  and  objecting  against  one 
or  the  other  with  tremendous  force  and  along  original  lines. 
He  is  particularly  fine  in  Natural  Theology,  in  dealing  with 
the  feelings  and  the  active  and  practical  powers.  He  discussed 
the  will  with  something  which  approaches  absolute  mastery. 

Though  this  great  work  has  had  a  considerable  sale,  it  never 
brought  anything  considerable  in  the  way  of  financial  benefit 
to  Dr.  Dabney. 

During  these  years  he  contributed  a  great  mass  of  matter 
to  the  reviews  and  periodicals,  some  on  religious  themes  and 
matters  connected  with  the  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
some  on  political  and  sociological  topics.  Amongst  the  papers 
on  religious  topics  were,  in  1870,  an  able  article  headed,  "What 
is  Christian  Union?"-  in  1870,  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian 

'This  article  was  published  in  the  Central  Presbyterian,  May  nth 
and  i8th,  1870.  Dr.  Dabney  seems  to  have  written  somewhat  less  for 
the  Central  in  this  period.  He  wrote  several  papers  for  the  Christian 
Intelligencer,  which  were  interesting  reading,  e.  g.,  "Description  of 
Negro  Worship  in  Richmond  and  Lynchburg.  Ante  and  Post  Bellum," 
December,  1872;  "Description  of  Negro  Theology,"  January,  1873,  ^^  al. 
22 


338         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Rcz'iezv,  an  article  entitled  "Doctrinal  \'arious  Readings  of  the 
New  Testament  Greek,"  a  production  which  was  misunderstood 
and  harshly  criticised ;    but  which   was,  nevertheless,  a  most 
able  and  vigorous  criticism  of  the  canons  of  modern  Textual 
Criticism.     This  paper  does  not  commit  Dr.  Dabney  in  favor 
of  certain  readings  of  the  textiis  receptiis,  as  has  been  supposed, 
but  leaves  the  way  open  for  him  to  do  so  if  he  will.     In  the 
same  year  he  prepared  a  sermon  on  2  Tim.  i.  3,  and  Titus  i.  9, 
which  he  preached  before  the  General  Assembly,  which  met  in 
Huntsville,  Ala.,   in   1871.     This  was  subsequently  published 
under  the  caption,  "Broad  Churchism,"  a  masterly  argument 
wherefore  our  Southern  Church  should  insist  on  strict  subscrip- 
tion to  our  standards  on  the  part  of  all  presbyters.    In  the  year 
1872,  and  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Review,  appeared  his 
"Theology  of  the  Plymouth  Brethren" ;    and,   in  the  South- 
zvestern  Presbyterian,  his  "Theology  of  the  Plymouth  Brethren" 
(a  reply  to  strictures  by  "M.  N."  on  the  foregoing  article).    In 
the  first   of  these  he   discusses   the   peculiar  views   of   these 
brethren  as  to  the  nature  of  saving  faith,  their  efforts  to  rid 
religious  experience  of  all  doubt  and  anxiety,  their  theory  of 
prayer,  and  their  pre-millennialism,  and  refutes  them  utterly, 
as  will  appear  to  most  of  his  readers.    His  critic  in  the  Soiith- 
zvestern  Presbyterian  was  met,  without  the  slightest  indulgence 
in  personalities,  but  with  an  absolute  exposure  of  the  weakness 
and  groundlessness  of  the  criticism.     In  1873,  ^""^  published,  in 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Rez'iezu  again,  a  noble  paper,  en- 
titled "The  Moral  Effects  of  a  Free  Justification,"  a  paper 
called  forth  by  the  Socinian  and  Latitudinarian  affinities  be- 
trayed by  Mr.  James  Anthony  Froude  in  some  of  his  writings, 
and  by  the  writings  of  William  Ellery  Channing,  D.  D.,  and 
J.  H.  Moehler,  D.  D.     In  April,  1873,  there  appeared,  in  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Rcz'iezv,  his  masterly  review  of  Hodge's 
Theology.     In  this  long  paper,  after  expressing  noble  com- 
mendation of  Dr.  Hodge's  great  work  as  a  whole,  he  took  issue 
with  him  on  two  points  of  doctrine  and  their  corollaries,  viz., 
the  specific  seat  of  original  sin,  and  the  doctrine  of  imputation. 
Dr.  Hodge  teaches  that  the  ultimate  seat  and  source  of  depravity 
is  in  the  intellect ;  that  we  are  to  place  the  rudimentary  element 
of  the  sinful  nature  in  the  blinded  understanding  misleading 
the  spontaneity,  and  thus  qualifying  the  soul,  as  a  whole,  mor- 
ally evil.    Dr.  Dabney,  on  the  other  hand,  finds  the  seat  of  sin 
rudimentally  in  the  perverted  habitus  of  the  will,  causatively 


Settled  in  Virginia.  339 

corrupting  and  blinding  the  understanding,  and  thus  quaHfying 
the  soul,  as  a  whole,  morally  evil.  Dr.  Dabney  is  thus  able  to 
give  an  account  of  regeneration  which  squares  with  the  scrip- 
tural representations  of  the  work  better  than  Dr.  Hodge's, 
which  makes  regeneration  illumination.  He  can  also  give  a 
juster  account  of  the  nature  of  saving  faith  than  Dr.  Hodge 
can  consistently  do.  He  can  show  more  accurately  the  relation 
between  faith  and  repentance.  This  part  of  his  critique  is 
marked  by  a  mastery  of  the  subject  beyond  that  shown  by 
Dr.  Hodge.  The  other  point.  Dr.  Hodge's  doctrine  of  the  im- 
mediate imputation  of  Adam's  sin  to  us,  he  also  discusses  with 
a  vast  ingenuity,  philosophical  and  theological  acumen  and  pro- 
fundity. Dr.  Hodge  advocates  the  theory  that  "in  the  order 
of  causation,  the  imputation  of  the  guilt  of  Adam's  first  sin 
on  men  precedes,  transferring  that  guilt  upon  them  conceived 
as  at  first  otherwise  innocent  and  guiltless ;  whereby  a  privative 
moral  corruption  of  soul  is  by  God  visited  on  Adam's  children 
as  the  penalty  of  that  imputed  guilt,  and,  in  the  first  instance, 
of  it  alone."  Dr.  Dabney  raises  tremendous  objections  both  to 
"mediate"  and  to  "immediate"  imputation  as  taught  by  their 
advocates, -though  he  holds  to  imputation.  He  maintains  that 
the  distinction  is  unphilosophical,unbiblical,and  one  that  should 
never  have  been  made.  He  teaches  that  previous  to  a  sinner's 
condemnation  in  Adam,  "he  has  no  existence  personally,  not 
for  one  moment,  not  even  in  the  metaphysical  order  of  thought, 
for  he  has  no  actual  existence  at  all.  He  enters  existence  cor- 
rupted, as  h^  enters  it  guilty.  He  enters  it  guilty,  as  he  enters 
it  corrupted.  This  is  the  character  of  the  federal  union  between 
him  and  Adam :  that  Adam's  conduct  should  determine  for  his 
posterity  precisely  this  result,  namely,  that  their  personal  ex- 
istence should  absolutely  begin  in  that  moral  estate  and  under 
that  legal  relation  which  Adam  procured  for  himself ;  that  the 
two  elements  of  this  result  should  be  mutually  involved  and 
coetaneous,  as  they  were  personally  in  Adam." 

During  this  period  occurred  Dr.  Dabney's  controversy  with 
Dr.  Woodrow\  The  origin  of  this  affair  seems  to  be  very  im- 
perfectly understood  by  Dr.  Dabney's  friends,  while  his  de- 
tractors seem  to  have  an  almost  total  misapprehension  as  to 
the  manner  of  its  rise.  They  apparently  look  upon  him  as 
having  made,  throughout  years  a  series  of  unprovoked  attacks 
on  Dr.  Woodrow.  Some  of  them  suppose  that  Dr.  Dabney 
was  moved  by  a  sort  of  petty  jealousy  against  Columbia  Semi- 


340         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

nary.  But  the  whole  view  is  wrong.  We  have  found  no  evi- 
•dence  that  he  was  ever  moved  by  any  jealousy  against  Columbia 
Seminary.  Jealousy  was  a  quality  that  Dr.  Dabney  seemed 
•ever  singularly  free  from,  except  in  regard  to  matters  of  prin- 
ciple. Nor  can  it  be  successfully  made  out  that  he  had  ever 
attacked  Dr.  Woodrow  up  to  the  time  of  Dr.  Woodrow's  out- 
burst against  him,  save  in  so  far  as  he  attacked  certain  prin- 
ciples which  Dr.  Woodrow  seems  to  have  held  as  early  as  1873. 
Dr.  Dabney  certainly  had  decided  views  on  the  subject  of  theo- 
logical education,  on  what  should  be  taught  in  theological  semi- 
naries and  what  should  not  be  taught  in  them,  on  the  manner 
of  the  control  of  the  theological  schools  by  the  church,  their 
relation  to  the  Assembly,  and  so  forth.  He  had  also  decided 
views  as  to  the  unreliability  of  many  of  the  conclusions  of  cer- 
tain schools  of  physical  science,  and  particularly  of  certain 
■schools  of  geologists.  It  was  also  true  of  him  that  he  liked  to 
publish  his  views.  He  would  have  done  this  had  there  been 
no  Dr.  Woodrow,  and  had  the  relations  of  any  other  seminary 
than  Columbia  to  the  General  Assembly  presented  the  occasion 
for  that  expression  of  views.  As  early  as  1861,  he  had  pub- 
lished in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Revieiv  a  paper  entitled, 
"Geology  and  the  Bible."  It  was  only  in  this  year  that  Dr. 
Woodrow  was  put  into  the  Perkins  professorship.  This  article 
Dr.  Dabney  had  planned  to  write  as  early  as  1855.  In  that  year. 
Dr.  Stuart  Robinson  had  urged  his  friend  Dabney  "to  pitch 
into  Hitchcock  and  company,"  and  give  them  a  "scutching" ; 
his  friend  Vaughan  had  heard  of  this,  and  written  Dabney 
that  it  might  be  well  to  publish  his  views  on  geology  "in  the 
way  of  queries,  as  difficulties,  rather  than  as  fixed  and  positive 
•  conclusions,"  since  many  great  Christian  men  held  "the  modern 
iviews  so  decidedly."    Vaughan  writes  : 

"I  would  rather  see  you  so  express  yourself  as  to  give  you  a  chance 
to  modify  your  views  hereafter  if  you  should  see  reason  to  do  so,  not 
to  commit  yourself  absolutely.  There  is  no  necessity  for  this.  The 
science  is  in  an  unsettled  state,  and  you  can  give  your  views  hypo- 
thetically,  or  in  the  form  of  points  to  be  settled,  or  as  objections  to 
evidence  on  various  features  of  the  scheme." ' 

In  a  letter  dated  one  week  later  than  the  foregoing  ( February 
14,  1855),  Mr.  Vaughan  explains  why  he  had  offered  these 
suggestions.     He  writes : 

^  Letter  of  C.  R.  X'aughan,  dated  February  7,  1855. 


Settled  in  Virginia.  341 

"It  was  just  precisely  the  fact  that  }'OU  were  getting  such  advice  [to 
chastise  the  geologists]  and  from  my  own  knowledge  of  the  intense,  and 
even  sarcastic,  vehemence  with  which  your  mind  hunts  an  absurdity, 
that  I  was  afraid  you  might  go  too  far,  aftd  have  reason  hereafter  to 
regret  it.  That  is  the  source  and  origin  of  the  impertinence,  my  dear 
fellow.  If  anybody  is  to  blame,  it  is  I,  and  I  only.  I  did  not  mean  to 
impeach  the  correctness  of  your  views ;  on  the  contrary,  such  is  my 
confidence  in  your  judgment,  it  would  take  a  good  deal  of  researching 
of  the  grounds  of  my  own  opinions,  even  if  I  had  any  on  this  subject, 
before  I  should  condemn  any  position  you  might  take.'' 

During  the  years  1856  to  1861,  Dr.  Dabney  probably  gave 
considerable  thought  and  study  to  the  "results"  of  geological 
study.  He  prepared  this  article,  so  far  as  we  can  find,  without 
the  slightest  reference  to  Dr.  Woodrow.  In  this  paper,  "Geology 
and  the  Bible,"  he  makes  a  protest  "against  the  arrogant  and 
offensive  spirit  in  which  geologists"  have  often  "met  clerical 
criticisms  of  their  reasonings,  and  against  the  jealous  and 
uneasy  temper  of  many  interpreters  of  the  Christian  Scriptures 
in  regard  to  the  affirmations  of  geologists ;  he  expounds  the 
degree  of  authority  which  we  are  to  claim  for  the  Bible  upon 
these  questions  of  physics  which  lie  along  the  path  of  its  topics ; 
he  points  out  with  an  imperious  hand  grounds  for  a  "reason- 
able mistrust  of  the  perfections  of  geological  demonstrations" ; 
particularly,  he  raises  the  question,  "How  far  must  the  logical 
value  of  the  inferences  of  natural  science  from  natural  appear- 
ances be  modified  by  the  admitted  fact  of  a  creation?"  and 
argues  strongly  to  the  conclusion  that  "if  there  is  any  authentic 
testimony  that  God  did,  from  the  first,  create  an  earth  fitted 
for  the  habitation  of  man,  no  sound  inference  drawn  from 
natural  analogies  is  of  any  force  to  rebut  the  testimony."  This 
last  position  continued  to  be  his  contention  to  the  end  of  his 
life.  It  was  adopted  without  the  slightest  reference  to  any  insti- 
tution or  to  any  man  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  Dr.  Dabney  states  in  this  paper, 
as  a  commonplace,  a  teaching  which  some  have  been  wont  to 
regard  as  taught  our  church  by  another.  At  one  time  it  was 
no  infrequent  thing  to  hear  that  it  was  a  great  merit  of  a  certain 
worthy  gentleman  to  have  taught  the  Southern  Church  that 
the  Bible,  in  speaking  of  physical  occurrences,  uses  popular 
and  not  scientific  language.  Dr.  Dabney  thought,  as  early  as 
1861,  that  this  was  a  commonplace  amongst  tolerably  informed 
theologians.    He  writes  in  the  article  now  under  consideration : 


342  ,       Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"When  revelation  says  anything  concerning  material  nature,  it  is 
only  what  is  made  necessary  to  the  comprehension  of  theological  fact 
or  doctrine.  And  in  its  observance  of  this  distinction  the  Bible  is  emi- 
nently a  practical  book,  saying  nothing  whatever  for  mere  curiosity, 
and  stopping  at  just  what  is  essential  to  religious  truth.  Hence,  we 
ought  to  understand  that  when  the  Scriptures  use  popular  language  to 
describe  physical  occurrences  or  facts,  all  they  mean  is  to  state  the 
apparent  phenomena  as  they  would  seem  to  the  popular  eye  to  occur. 
They  never  intended  to  give  us  the  non-apparent  scientific  mechanism 
of  those  facts  or  occurrences ;  for  this  is  not  essential  to  their  practical 
object,  and  is  left  to  the  philosopher.  Hence,  when  natural  science 
comes  and  teaches  us  that  the  true  rationale  of  apparent  phenomena  is 
different  from  that  which  seems  to  be  suggested  by  the  terms  of  the 
Scripture  and  of  popular  language,  there  is  no  real  contradiction  be- 
tween science  and  the  Bible  or  between  science  and  the  popular  phrase- 
ology. For  instance,  the  exposition  of  such  passages  which  led  the 
doctors  of  Salamanca  to  condemn  Columbus'  geography  as  unscriptural, 
and  the  inquisition  and  Turretin  to  argue  against  the  astronomy  of 
Galileo,  as  infidel,  was  mistaken.  The  former  argued  against  Columbus 
that  the  Psalms  speak  of  the  heavens  as  spread  out  like  a  canopy,  and 
the  earth  as  immovable  and  extended.  Turretin  argues  most  me- 
thodically that  the  Copernican  scheme  of  the  heavens  cannot  be  true, 
because  the  Scriptures  speak  of  the  earth  as  'established  that  it  cannot 
b-^  moved,'  of  the  sun  as  "going  forth  to  his  circuit  in  the  heavens' ;  and 
of  the  sun  and  moon  as  'setting,'  'rising,'  'standing  still  at  Joshua's 
command.'  We  now  clearly  see  that  all  this  was  exegetical  folly.  And, 
now  that  we  know  that  it  is  the  earth  that  moves  and  not  the  sun,  we 
no  more  dream  of  charging  the  Bible  with  error  of  language  than  we 
do  the  astronomer  himself,  when  he  says,  perhaps  on  the  very  pages 
of  his  almanac,  'sun  rises,'  'sun  sets,'  'sun  enters  Capricorn,'  etc. ;  for 
such  really  are  the  apparent  motions  of  these  bodies ;  and  had  the  Bible 
departed  from  the  established  popular  phraseology,  it  would  have  been 
unintelligible  and  absurd  to  all  nations  which  had  not  yet  developed 
the  Copernican  astronomy." 

Thus  fully  did  Dr.  Dabney  set  forth,  as  a  commonplace,  in 
1861,  the  fact  that  the  Bible  speaks  of  physical  occurrences 
in  phenomenal  language.    But  this  by  the  way. 

In  1866,  Dr.  Dabney  published  in  the  Central  Presbyterian 
a  series  of  articles  on  the  general  subject  of  Theological  Educa- 
tion. In  the  first  of  these  articles  he  discusses  the  subject  of 
the  proper  relation  of  the  seminaries  to  the  General  Assembly ; 
in  the  second,  the  proper  organization  of  a  school  of  divinity ; 
in  the  third,  the  standard  of  attainment  which  the  Assembly 
should  require  in  all  her  divinity  schools ;    in  the  fourth,  the 


Settled  in  Virginia.  343 

impracticability  of  combining  the  theoretical  and  practical  train- 
ing, and  the  propriety  of  lengthening  the  seminary  sessions ; 
and  in  the  fifth,  the  proper  relations  to  be  established  between 
Hampden-Sidney  College  and  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
and  the  footing  on  which  divinity  students  should  study  those 
sciences  (as  geology)  which  affect  the  question  of  inspiration. 
Dr.  Dabney  was  not  satisfied  with  the  conditions  actually  exist- 
ing and  described  in  any  one  of  these  articles.  He  wrote  in 
hopes  of  improving  those  conditions.  He  was  making  no  attack 
on  Columbia  Seminary,^  in  disapproving  her  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  Assembly,  any  more  than  he  was  making  an 
attack  on  his  own  Seminary  when  he  was  condemning  the  form 
of  organization  obtaining  in  that  school,  or  when  condemning 
the  relations  obtaining  between  that  institution  and  Hampden- 
Sidney  College.  Nor  was  he  attacking  Dr.  Woodrow,  the 
Columbia  professor,  when  animadverting  on  the  teaching  of 
physical  science  in  a  seminary.  He  had  given  profound  thought 
to  the  subject  of  theological  education;  he  had  espoused  certain 
principles  as  true  of  it ;  he  was  pushing  those  principles,  the 
truth  as  he  saw  things.  He  pushed  them,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  they  would  rub  some  men  the  wrong  way,  but  not  at  all 
in  order  to  rub  them  thus. 

In  1869  he  rewrote  his  views  and  presented  them,  as  we 
have  seen,  as  a  memorial  to  the  Assembly's  Committee  on  Serni- 
naries.  It  may  not  have  been  an  unnatural  thing  in  friends 
of  the  Columbia  Seminary  and  of  Dr.  Woodrow  to  see  in  the 
memorial  an  attack  on  them ;  but  it  is  only  fair  to  Dr.  Dabney 
to  say  that  it  was  not  intended  by  him  as  such.  He  was  merely 
advocating  lines  of  action  in  theological  education  on  which 
Columbia,  at  that  time,  and  Dr.  Woodrow  were  not  moving, 
and  on  which  his  own  Seminary  also  was  not  squarely  moving. 

He  preached  a  sermon  in  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  October  20, 
1 88 1,  from  Colossians  ii.  8,  entitled,  "A  Caution  against  Anti- 
Christian  Science."  In  this  sermon  his  purpose  was  to  caution 
Christians  against  the  teachings  of  Huxley,  Tyndale,  Darwin, 
et  id  onine  genus,  in  their  infidel  bearings.  He  showed  that 
the  attitude  of  many  physicists  toward  revelation  was  threaten- 
ing; that  the  Bible,  when  cautiously  and  candidly  interpreted 
by  its  own  light,  must  be  held  inspired;    and  that  when  so 

*  We  are  glad  that  no  such  ground  of  difference  between  noble  old 
Columbia  and  Union  Seminaries  exists  to-day. 


344         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

interpreted  it  cannot  be  discredited  by  the  conclusions  of  the 
geologist.  Here,  again,  Dr.  Woodrow's  friends  supposed  that 
Dr.  Dabney  was  attacking  him.  This,  however,  was  far  from 
the  case.  In  a  letter,  dated  September  26,  1884,  to  the  Rev. 
Dr.  G.  B.  Strickler,  Dr.  Dabney  writes : 

"I  happened  to  preach  an  extempore  sermon  in  Synod  in  Lynchburg, 
against  pronounced  evolutionists.  This  some  elders  printed,  I  no  more 
thinking  of  any  attack  on  Woodrow  than  on  the  prophet  Ezra;  nor,  I 
can  say  with  truth,  was  he  once  in  my  mind  in  the  delivery  (the  sermon 
had  no  preparation  hardly)  or  printing  of  the  sermon;  nor  did  it  con- 
tain one  word  to  suggest  any  such  attack.  Dr.  Woodrow  then  avowed 
just  as  strong  a  dislike  to  evolution  as  I  did;  yet  for  some  unaccount- 
able reason,  he  chose  to  consider  himself  assailed,  and  wrote  an  attack 
on  me,  the  most  absurd  possible  travesty  of  my  sermon,  combined  with 
the  most  distinctly  rationalistic  positions,  and  any  amount  of  personal 
abuse." 

Meanwhile,  Dr.  Dabney  had  published,  also,  the  first  edition 
of  his  Svllabus  and  Azotes  of  the  Course  on  Systematie  and 
Polemic  Theology;  and  in  these  lectures  had  expressed,  inci- 
dentally, his  views  on  current  physical  philosophy.  It  may  be 
said,  in  general,  that  it  was  his  purpose  in  all  these  discussions 
of  physical  science,  not  so  much  to  support  positively  any  cos- 
mogonic  theory,  but  to  keep  the  field  open  for  the  reception  of 
anything  God  may  have  said  on  the  subject;  and  that  against 
pseudo-physical  science  his  criticism  was  as  just  as  it  was 
trenchant  and  powerful ;  but  that  he  was  so  careless  as  some- 
times to  give  occasion  to  adversaries  to  say  that  he  was  con- 
demning physical  science  generally. 

Dr.  Woodrow  published,  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Re- 
view for  July,  1873,  ^  paper  headed,  "An  Examination  of  Cer- 
tain Recent  Assaults  on  Physical  Science."  This  paper  is 
marked  by  a  frequently  expressed  fear  that  Dr.  Dabney's  writ- 
ings about  physical  science  would  lead  men  who  know  any- 
thing of  the  subject  to  infidelity,  and  by  a  most  acute  and 
caustic  criticism.  He  pounces  upon  every  careless  statement 
and  every  hasty  generalization.  He  does  not  in  this  paper 
impress  all  his  readers  as  adeqtiately  meeting  Dr.  Dabney  on 
the  main  point  at  issue.  He  does  impress  some  of  his  readers 
as  desirous  of  flaying  Dabney  alive,  as  putting  forth  his  vindica- 
tion of  physical  science  enwrapped  in  the  flames  of  long  pent-up 
but  now  burst-forth  indignation. 


Settled  in  Virginia.  345 

Dabney  had  been  apprised  of  the  coming  forth  of  Woodrow's 
paper  in  the  Reviezv;  and  they  had  had  some  correspondence 
on  the  subject.  When  the  article  appeared,  some  weeks  passed 
without  Dabney's  having  read  it.  Nothing  was  more  foreign 
to  him  than  controversy  w^hen  it  became  personal  As  long  as 
men  confined  themselves  to  principles,  he  was  ready  for  battle ; 
but  when  they  began  to  bandy  epithets  and  to  deal  in  caricature, 
he  was  for  withdrawing.  He  thought  he  had  been  careful  of 
the  honor  and  reputation  of  all  his  brethren  in  the  ministry, 
and  amongst  them  of  Dr.  Woodrow's.  Some  weeks  had  passed 
after  the  publication  of  Woodrow's  article  when  his  old  friend, 
Vaughan,  paid  Dabney  a  visit,  and  in  the  course  of  the  visit 
asked  Dabney  if  he  had  read  Woodrow's  article.  "No."  said 
Dabney,  "I  have  not.  Woodrow  has  supposed  that  I  have  been 
attacking  him,  and  he  has  plunged  into  me,  misrepresenting  me, 
I  know ;  and  I  have  not  read  it,  because  I  have  not  wished  to 
get  mad.  I  have  concluded  not  to  say  anything  in  reply,  and 
not  even  to  read  the  article.  Vaughan  laughed,  and  replied 
that  he  was  not  surprised ;  but  when  about  to  leave  he  said : 
"Dabney,  old  fellow,  you  must  read  Woodrow's  article  and 
answer  it.  You  can  do  it ;  and  you  owe  it  to  yourself  and  to 
your  friends  and  the  truth.  You  will  find  the  serpent-trail  of 
rationalism  there ;  and  you  ought  to  point  it  out.  The  article 
is  plausible  ;   it  will  do  damage  ;   it  must  be  answered." 

In  the  October  issue  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Revieiv 
1873,  Dr.  Dabney's  reply  appeared.  He  had  taken  his  friend 
Vaughan's  advice.  He  seems  to  have  found  the  trail  of  the 
rationalism.  His  reply  was  a  very  "moderate  paper''  in  tone, 
for  him  ;  and  some  of  those  who  sympathized  with  Woodrow 
took  the  moderation  of  tone  for  a  semi-cowed  state  of  mind  on 
the  part  of  the  writer.  Dr.  Dabney  believed,  however,  that  he 
had  vindicated  himself  in  the  main  points ;  he  made  no  reply 
to  Dr.  Woodrow's  second  assault,  entitled,  "A  Further  Exami- 
nation of  Certain  Recent  Assaults  on  Physical  Science,"  feeling 
that  it  was  already  answered  ;  and  when  Dr.  Woodrow's  de- 
veloped views  began  to  trouble  the  whole  church,  in  the  eighties, 
Dr.  Dabney  felt  that  the  church  was  at  length  feeling  what  he 
had  discovered  in  Woodrow's  first  assault  upon  him.  He  wrote 
to  Dr.  Strickler  in  1884,  in  the  letter  already  quoted:  "The 
positions  taken  by  Woodrow  in  his  attack  on  me  in  1873  were 
rationalistic.  The  church  ought  to  have  seen  it  then,  and  to 
have  taken  the  alarm.     I  did  my  duty  and  exposed  those  posi- 


346         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

tions ;  but  most  seemed  to  think  it  was  but  one  of  the  'Dabney 
crotchets' ;    nobody  took  the  alarm." 

The  chief  contention  of  Dr.  Dabney  in  this  controversy  is 
most  satisfactorily  set  forth  in  his  letter  to  Dr.  Woodrow  just 
prior  to  the  appearance  of  the  first  of  Dr.  Woodrow's  articles. 
The  essential  portions  of  this  letter  are  as  follows : 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Sir:  Your  courtesy  in  advising  me  of  your 
article  deserves  a  thankful  acknowledgment.  I  beg  leave  to  tax  your 
kindness  with  a  few  remarks  before  you  finally  commit  your  manuscript 
to  the  press.  The  few  words  which  passed  between  us  in  Richmond 
showed  me  that  I  had  not  been  so  fortunate  as  to  convey  the  real  extent 
and  meaning  of  my  views  to  you.  This  misconception  I  will  make  one 
more  effort  to  remove,  in  order  to  save  you  and  the  public  from  discus- 
sions aside  from  the  real  point.     .    .     . 

"I  conceive  that  there  is  but  one  single  point  between  you  and  me, 
which  is  either  worthy  or  capable  of  being  made  a  subject  of  scientific 
discussion.  It  is  this :  I  hold  that  to  those  who  honestly  admit  a  Creator 
anywJiere  in  the  past,  the  a  posteriori  argument  from  naturalness  of 
properties  to  a  natural — as  opposed  to  a  creative  or  supernatural — origin 
of  the  structures  examined,  can  no  longer  be  universally  valid.  That 
is,  really,  the  only  point  I  care  for.  Now  let  me  appeal  to  your  candor 
to  disencumber  it  of  misapprehensions  and  supposed  monstrous  corol- 
laries, and  where  is  the  mighty  mischief? 

"But  you  may  say,  Dr.  Dabney  is  understood  as  holding  the  above 
in  such  a  sense  as  to  involve  the  assumption  that  all  save  the  'pleistocene' 
fossils  are  shams ;  that  is,  that  the  older  fossil  remains  of  animal  life 
never  were  alive,  but  that  God,  in  creating  the  world,  created  them  just 
as  they  are,  probably  for  the  purpose  of  "humbugging"  the  geologists. 
Now  I  have  never  said  nor  implied  any  such  thing,  and  do  not  believe  it. 
Search  and  see.  You  may  return  to  the  charge  with  this  inferential 
argument,  that  the  doctrine  means  this,  or  else  it  has  no  point  to  it.  It 
does  not  mean  it,  in  my  hands,  and  I  will  show  you  what  point  I  think 
it  has.     Let  the  ugly  bugaboo,  I  pray  you,  be  laid. 

"Again,  you  will  find,  if  you  will  search  my  notes  and  sermon,  that 
I  have  not  committed  myself  for  or  against  any  hj-pothesis  held  by 
truly  devout  Christian  geologists.  I  have  not  said  that  I  rejected,  or 
that  I  adopted,  the  older  scheme  of  a  pre-Adamite  earth,  as  held  by 
Drs.  Chalmers,  Hodge,  Hitchcock,  etc.  I  have  not  committed  myself 
for  or  against  the  hypotheses  of  Cardinal  Wiseman  and  Dr.  Gerald 
Molloy,  of  Maynooth.  No  man  can  quote  me  as  for  or  against  the  'uni- 
formitarian'  scheme  of  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  as  compared  with  the  oppo- 
site scheme  of  Hugh  Miller.  As  to  the  other  propositions  advanced  in 
my  notes  and  sermon,  I  presume  they  can  hardly  be  made  the  subjects 
of  scientific  debate  between  us,  even  if  of  difference.  We  shall  hardly 
dispute  whether  sham-science,  disparaging  Moses,  is,  or  is  not,  whole- 


Settled  in  Virginia,  347 

some  reading  for  the  children  of  the  church.  We  shall  hardly  differ 
about  the  propriety  of  carrying  that  solemn  conscience  into  physical 
speculation  which  sinners  usually  feel  when  they  come  to  die.  It  can 
hardly  be  made  a  point  for  scientific  inquiry,  whether  your  larger  or  my 
smaller  admiration  for  the  fascinating  art  of  the  mineralogist  is  the  more 
just. 

"The  only  real  point  which  remains,  then,  is  my  humble  attempt  to 
fix  the  'metes  and  bounds'  of  physical  a  posteriori  reasonings  when  they 
inosculate  with  the  divine  science.  Obviously,  atheistic  physicists 
wholly  neglect  these  metes  and  bounds.  Obviously,  again,  many  theistic 
physicists — as  Hitchcock,  Religion  of  Geology — dazzled  by  the  fascina- 
tion of  facts  and  speculations,  are  overlooking  these  metes  and  bounds. 
Now,  that  inquiry  may  proceed  in  a  healthy  way,  and  the  ground  be  pre- 
pared for  safe  hypothesis,  it  is  all-important  that  a  first  principle  be 
settled  here.  I  offer  my  humble  mite,  by  proving  that,  to  the  theistic 
reasoner — I  have  no  debate  here  with  atheists — the  proposition  cannot 
hold  universally  true  that  an  analogous  naturalness  of  properties  in  a 
structure  proves  an  analogous  natural  origin.  I  do  not  care  to  put  it 
in  any  stronger  form  than  the  above. 

'"But  when  cleared  of  misconceptions,  this  proposition,  to  the  theist. 
becomes  irresistible.  'Geologists' — meaning,  of  course,  the  ones  defined 
in  the  previous  paragraph — refuse  all  limitations  of  analogical,  a  pos- 
teriori arguments,  claiming  that  'like  causes  always  produce  like  effects,' 
which,  say  they,  is  the  very  corner-stone  of  all  inductive  science.  But 
the  real  position  they  employ  is  the  converse  of  this,  viz.,  'Like  effects 
always  indicate  like  causes.'  Now,  first,  must  I  repeat  the  trite  rule  of 
logic,  that  the  converse  of  a  true  position  is  not  necessarily  true?  Sec- 
ondly, the  theist  has  expressly  ad)nitted  another  cause,  namely,  an  in- 
finite, personal  Creator,  confessedly  competent  to  any  effect  he  may 
choose  to  create.  Hence  the  theist  is  compelled  to  allow  that  this  con- 
verse will  not  hold  universally  here.  Thirdly,  a  wise  Creator,  creating  a 
structure  to  be  the  subject  of  natural  laws,  will,  of  course,  create  it  with 
traits  of  naturalness.  Hence,  whenever  the  mineralogist  meets  with  one 
of  these  created  structures,  he  must  be  prepared  to  find  in  it  every  trait 
of  naturalness,  like  other  structures  of  the  class  which  are  originated 
naturally.  Fourthly,  to  the  theist  this  argument  is  perfect  when  applied 
to  all  vital  organisms.  The  first  of  the  species  must  have  received  from 
the  supernatural,  creative  hand  every  trait  of  naturalness,  else  it  could 
not  have  fulfilled  the  end  for  which  it  was  made,  viz.,  to  be  the  parent 
of  a  species,  to  transmit  to  subsequent  generations  of  organisms  the 
specific  nature.  And,  fifthly  and  lastly,  to  deny  this  would  compel  us 
still  to  assign  a  natural  parent,  before  the  first  created  parent,  of  each 
species  of  generated  organism,  which  would  involve  us  in  a  multitude 
of  infinite  series,  without  causes  outside  of  themselves ;  but  this  notion 
science  herself  repudiates  as  a  self-contradictory  absurdity,     .     .    .     etc. 

"What  use  is  to  be  made  of  this  conclusion,  if  admitted?     First,  to 


348         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

save  us  from  being  betrayed  into  some  theory  of  cosmogony  virtually 
atheistic.  Secondly,  to  make  you  and  me,  those  who  love  geology,  and 
those  who  are  jealous  of  it,  modest  in  constructing  hypotheses;  to 
remind  us,  when  examining  the  things  which  disclose  'eternal  power  and 
Godhead,'  how  possibly  we  may  have  gotten  into  contact  with  the  im- 
mediate Hand  who  'giveth  no  account  to  any  man  of  his  matters.' 

"Very  faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  D.\bney." 

The  following  paragraph,  from  Dr.  Woodrow's  article  in  the 
April  number  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Reviezv  for  1874, 
fairly,  though  briefly,  sets  forth  the  counter  contention  of  the 
Perkins  Professor: 

"Here,  then,  is  where  we  agree  and  where  we  differ.  We  agree  in 
believing  that  which  is  called  the  'only  point  cared  for' ;  we  differ  as  to 
its  application,  Dr.  Dabney  insisting  that  the  absence  of  the  supernatural 
must  be  proved  {Sermon,  p.  13;  Lectures,  p.  177)  before  the  law  of 
uniformity  may  be  applied ;  we  insisting  that  the  presence  of  the  super- 
natural must  be  proved  before  we  are  debarred  from  applying  it.  We 
maintain  that  the  former  principle  leads  inevitably  to  universal  skepti- 
cism, and  that  the  latter  leads  inevitably  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

This  is  an  extreme  interpretation  of  Dr.  Dabney's  teaching, 
and  a  hazardous  position  for  Dr.  Woodrow  to  maintain. 

The  student  of  this  controversy  may  well  feel  a  want  of 
entire  sympathy  for  either  contestant ;  but  may,  nevertheless, 
carry  away  the  conviction  that  Dr.  Dabney  was  not  half  as  rash 
in  his  discussions  of  physical  science  as  many  have  supposed ; 
that  his  positions  were  relatively  cautious  indeed ;  and  he  must 
reach  the  conclusion  that  he  was  much  the  Christian  gentleman 
in  his  reply  to  Dr.  Woodrow.  He  is  right  in  teaching  that  the 
prudent  physical  philosopher,  the  geologist,  for  instance,  must 
remember  that  his  conclusions  as  to  the  past  must  be  modified 
by  the  possibility  of  extra-natural  causes  accounting  for  the 
phenomena;  that  he  must  say,  "If  no  extra-natural  causes  were 
at  work." 

Dr.  Dabney  produced  several  articles  during  this  period,  also, 
of  a  more  secular  character.  Amongst  these  were  one  entitled. 
"The  United  States  as  a  Military  Nation,"  which  appeared  in 
the  Southern  Reviezv,  Baltimore,  October,  1869,  and  another, 
a  lecture  on  "Stonewall  Jackson."  delivered  in  Baltimore  in 
November,  1872. 

The  lecture  on  Jackson  is  a  brilliant  piece  of  work,  descrip- 
tive of  Jackson   in   the   struggle   with   Fremont   and   Shields 


Settled  in  Virginia.  349 

around  Port  Republic.  The  style  is  quite  unusual  for  Dabney. 
It  has  the  flavor  of  Carlyle,  and  as  if  Carlyle  were  talking  in 
stately  blank  verse.  It  is  well  worth  reading  as  literature,  in 
spite  of  the  style. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  period  it  was  his  happy  destiny  to 
perform  distinguished  ecclesiastical  services.  He  was  sent  as 
a  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  which  sat  at  Louis- 
ville in  1870. 

On  Thursday  evening,  May  19,  1870,  he  wrote  from  that  city 
to  Mrs.  Dabney: 

"My  Dear  Binny  :  After  a  hard  day's  work  I  have  retired  to  fulfil 
my  promise  of  writing  you  a  short  letter.  You  will  see  from  my  hand- 
writing how  tired  I  am.  The  Assembly  met  this  morning,  and  was 
opened  with  a  long  sermon  by  Dr.  Robinson.  After  the  organization, 
Dr.  Bullock  got  up  and  nominated  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney,  of  Virginia, 
as  Moderator.  No  other  nomination  was  made,  and  Robinson  put  the 
question  viva  voce,  and  in  a  jiffy  the  election  was  over,  and  I  was  upon 
the  platform.  I  made  them  a  little  speech,  which  was  short  and  sweet 
(you  see  I  had  nothing  to  say,  and  am  not  good  at  talking  under  such 
circumstances).  The  Assembly  soon  adjourned,  and  after  dinner  I  was 
busy  making  up  committees.  This  is  a  very  complicated  job.  I  have 
gotten  through  it,  and  mean  to  take  matters  quite  easily.  To-morrow 
morning  we  expect  to  work  in  good  earnest. 

"Robinson  has  fattened  a  great  deal,  and  is  bald,  and  an  old  looking 
man."    ,    .    . 

It  was  to  this  Assembly  that  the  first  delegates  from  the 
Northern  Church  came  with  their  greetings  and  proposals  to 
the  church  in  the  South.  On  Wednesday,  the  27th  of  June, 
in  a  gossipy  letter  to  Mrs.  Dabney,  Dr.  Dabney  writes : 

"But  the  great  event  of  the  day  has  been  the  visitation  of  the  Radi- 
cal delegates  from  Philadelphia.  Van  Dyke  at  their  head.  They  came 
into  the  Assembly  this  morning,  Van  Dyke,  Dr.  Backus,  and  a  Yankee 
New  School  man  named  Dodge  (Mr.  William  E.  Dodge),  dressed  in 
an  inch  of  their  lives,  with  a  set  of  resolutions  from  their  As- 
sembly, and  our  Assembly  was  so  stupid  as  to  let  them  orate  ad  libitum. 
Van  Dyke  let  himself  down  completely;    has  gone  over  to  them." 

Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  now  of  Danville,  Ky.,  was  a  member  of 
this  Assembly,  and  has  given  this  portrayal  of  the  situation, 
viz. : 


350         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"We  had  had  no  dealings  with  our  Northern  brethren,  and  they  had 
just  made  the  discovery  that  they  loved  us.  They  had  been  abusing  us 
like  pick-pockets,  but  the  reunited  Old  and  New  School  Church  wanted 
to  complete  their  glory  by  taking  us  in,  and  we  heard,  to  our  dismay, 
that  Van  Dyke,  Backus  and  Dodge  were  on  their  way  with  the  olive 
branch.  I  was  in  the  room,  Joseph  R.  Wilson,  and  J.  Leighton  Wilson, 
and,  I  think,  Dr.  Woodrow,  when  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  in 
came  Dr.  Dabney  and  Dr.  William  Brown.  Dr.  Dabney  said,  'Brethren, 
I  hear  that  the  Northern  delegation  are  here,  and  they  will  be  presented 
to-morrow,  and  I  want  to  confer  with  you.  Of  course,  they  will  speak, 
and  I  must  reply  immediately.  I  will  have  no  time  to  make  up  a  speech 
after  hearing  them,  and  I  do  not  want  to  forecast  the  action"  of  the 
Assembly  in  my  speech.  How  can  I  manage  the  matter?'  Dr.  Joseph 
Wilson  said,  'Dabney.  can't  you  for  once  in  your  life  make  a  speech 
without  saying  anything?'  He  replied,  'I  shall  try.'  I  had  some  curi- 
osity to  hear  Dabney  make  a  speech  without  saying  anything,  and  really 
he  came  very  near  it.  Van  Dyke  evidently  thought  he  said  nothing,  for 
as  Dr.  Dabney  proceeded  and  Van  Dyke  saw  that  nothing  was  to  be 
gathered  from  his  words  as  to  how  he  felt  or  what  he  intended  to  do,  his 
countenance  fell  till  it  became  almost  blank.  The  occasion  was  a  thrill- 
ing one.  Van  Dyke  was  the  first  speaker.  As  he  proceeded  to  explain 
that  he  had  not  come  to  say  'peccavi.'  that  Presbyterians  never  apolo- 
gized, that  if  they  wanted  to  they  could  not,  for  now  they  represented  a 
new,  reunited  church,  the  former  Old  School  Church  was  now  no 
more,  it  was  merged  in  a  new  body,  and  this  new  body  could  not 
apologize  for  what  the  now  defunct  old  body  had  said  and  done,  a  very 
bad  impression  was  made.  'Peccavi'  was  the  very  word  we  wanted  to 
hear.  An  apology  for  all  their  abuse  and  vilification  was  strictly  in 
order,  but  no,  the  church  that  did  all  this  meanness  was  non-existent, 
and  yet  the  fellows  who  had  done  the  insulting  seemed  very  much  alive. 
Dr.  Backus  followed  in  a  goody-goody  speech,  and  then  Mr.  Dodge 
announced  that  he  was  still  doing  business  at  the  old  stand,  and  would 
be  glad  to  see  his  old  friends  at  such  and  such  a  place.  Van  Dyke's 
face  was  a  study  as  Dabney  rose  to  reply.  He  was  eager  and  expectant, 
but  the  Doctor  did  not  just  melt  in  tenderness  and  love.  He  was  cold, 
polite,  dealt  in  generalities  altogether,  and  closed  without  saying  any- 
thing in  particular." 

Dr.  Dabney  wrote  to  his  wife,  on  the  night  following-  this 
speech,  in  the  letter  already  qitoted : 

"It  was  my  duty  to  reply  on  behalf  of  the  Assembly.  My  object  was 
to  be  perfectly  non-committal.  My  brethren  say  that  I  succeeded  ad- 
mirably. I  spoke  for  about  five  minutes  very  fluently,  grammatically 
and  handsomely,  without  expressing  one  single  definite  idea,  giving 
them,  meantime,  one  or  two  sly  digs  under  the  fifth  rib  by  innuendo. 


Settled  in  Virginia.  351 

The  whole  matter  was  then  referred  to  a  committee,  which  I  selected, 
with  Dr.  Palmer  at  the  head.  I  hope  they  will  recommend  an  answer 
which  will  be  firm  and  wise;  but  these  fellows  in  Philadelphia  are  (so 
plausible)   that  I  feel  much  solicitude. 

On  Thursday  Dr.  Palmer's  committee  reported,  recommend- 
ing that  a  committee  be  sent  to  confer  ("not  about  union,  which 
we  declare  shall  never  be"),  but  "about  the  law-suits  chiefly; 
to  tell  them  that  they  must  retract  their  slanders  explicitly, 
etc. ;  and  that  we  would  never  be  to  them  anything  more  than 
to  any  other  separate  denomination,  unless  they  disavowed  all 
their  political  platforms  and  turned  out  all  the  loose  broad 
church  men."  So  Dr.  Dabney  wrote  his  "dear  Binney"  on 
Friday  evening,  May  27th.    And  he  added  to  this : 

"Even  this,  which  I  think  goes  a  heap  too  far,  met  with  opposition ! 
It  was  resolved  to  hold  a  private  interlocutory  meeting  at  night  to  dis- 
cuss the  report.     There  were  some  very  fishy  developments  by  old  Dr. 

,  Dr.  ,  and  one  or  two  others.     Palmer  spoke  handsomely, 

but  I  thought  timidly.  Things  were  not  going  at  all  to  my  mind.  I 
must  explain  that  in  an  interlocutory  meeting,  which  is  a  committee  of 
the  whole,  the  Moderator  does  not  preside,  but  calls  some  member  to 
act  as  chairman,  and  for  the  time,  becomes  a  mere  member,  so  I  was  on 
the  floor." 

He  had  called  Dr.  J.  J.  Bullock  to  the  chair.  But,  although 
he  was  on  the  floor,  he  was  not  in  a  hurry  to  speak.  IVIany  of 
the  speeches  he  heard  sickened  him.  "The  adroit  Yankees 
seemed  (he  says)  to  have  cowed  all  our  men  by  the  insinuated 
threat  that  if  they  did  not  come  in  smoothly  the  whole  Christian 
world  would  say  it  was  because  we  were  in  the  sulks  at  being 
whipped  in  a  secular  war,  which  would  leave  our  church  more 
clearly  on  a  political  basis  than  we  charged  theirs  with  being. 
So  the  tone  of  many  of  these  speeches  was  that  we  had  no 
right  to  consult  any  feelings,  but  must  act  upon  the  dry  logic 
of  the  fact  that  both  churches,  though  they  have  been  killing 
each  other  for  four  years,  professed  to  hold  the  same  Con- 
fession." The  early  speeches,  however.  Dr.  Palmer's  excepted, 
did  not  represent  the  mind  of  the  body.  They  were  really 
waiting  to  be  voiced  by  a  man  in  whose  honesty  all  had  the 
utmost  confidence.  The  Assembly  was  waiting  for  Dabney. 
The  night  was  wearing  on.  Some  talked  of  adjournment.  The 
hour  of  ten  was  already  approaching.  The  venerable  Dr.  J. 
Leighton  Wilson  shoved  himself  near  to  Dabney  and  whispered, 


352         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"Dr.  Dabney,  you  must  speak.  This  debate  is  taking  a  fatal 
turn ;  these  men  are  all  entangling  and  committing  themselves 
on  the  wrong  side."  Dabney  whispered  back,  "No;  I  am  Mod- 
erator, and  I  don't  want  to  be  thought  intruding  in  this  debate." 
Another  speech  occurred  of  the  same  sort.  Dr.  Wilson  again 
whispered,  in  much  agitation,  "Dr.  Dabney,  you  must  speak, 
or  these  men  will  ruin  the  Southern  Church."  About  the  same 
time,  the  Rev.  E.  M.  Green,  who  was  sitting  just  in  front  of 
Dabney,  noted  the  hour.  It  was  five  minutes  past  ten.  Dabney 
"was  breathing  heavily;  he  was  restless  and  nervous."  Green 
leaned  back  and  said,  "Doctor,  have  you  nothing  to  say?" 
"No,"  he  replied ;  "if  this  body  listens  to  such  talk  as  we  have 
been  hearing,  they  don't  want  anything  from  me."  Mr.  Green 
said,  "We  have  a  right  to  hear  from  you,  and  all  are  waiting 
for  you  to  speak."     Dr.  Green  writes : 

"He  was  on  his  feet  in  a  moment.  He  began  this  way:  'Mr.  Chair- 
man, I  feel  as  if  I  were  talking  to  people  across  a  river  a  mile  wide.  If 
you  are  pleased  with  such  speeches  as  you  have  been  listening  to,  it  is 
useless  for  me  to  express  my  thoughts.  I  do  not  profess  to  be  as  good 
as  some  people ;  I  hear  brethren  saying  it  is  time  to  forgive.  Mr. 
Chairman,  I  do  not  forgive.  I  do  not  try  to  forgive.  What !  forgive 
these  people,  who  have  invaded  our  country,  burned  our  cities,  destroyed 
our  homes,  slain  our  young  men,  and  spread  desolation  and  ruin  over 
our  land !  No,  I  do  not  forgive  them.  But  you  say,  "They  have 
changed  their  feelings  towards  us,  are  kind."  And  why  should  they  not 
be  kind?  Have  we  ever  done  anything  to  make  them  feel  unkind  to  us? 
Have  we  ever  harmed  or  wronged  them?  They  are  amiable  and  peace- 
ful, are  they?  And  is  not  the  gorged  tiger  amiable  and  peaceful? 
When  he  has  filled  himself  with  the  calf  he  has  devoured,  he  lies  down 
in  a  kind,  good  humor:  but  wait  till  he  has  digested  his  meal,  and  will 
he  not  be  fierce  again?  Will  he  not  be  a  tiger  again?  They  have 
gorged  themselves  with  everything  they  could  take  from  us.  They  have 
gained  everything  they  tried  to  get,  they  have  conquered  us,  they  have 
destroyed  us.  Why  should  they  not  be  amiable  and  kind?  Do  you  be- 
lieve that  the  same  old  tiger  nature  is  not  in  them?  Just  wrest  from 
them  anything  they  have  taken  from  us,  and  see.'  "  ° 

Continues  Dr.  Green : 

"In  that  way,  he  went  on  for  an  hour.  I  never  heard  such  a  philippic. 
I  was  frightened.  I  believed  every  word  he  said,  but  I  thought  I  had 
never  encountered  before  such  a  terrible  man." 

°  We  understand  Dr.  Green,  in  this  graphic  passage,  to  be  giving  only 
the  general  impression  which  Dr.  Dabney's  words  made  upon  him. 


Settled  in  Virginia.  353 

It  is  a  pity  that  the  speech  was  not  reported,  if  such  a  thing 
had  been  possible.  Writing  of  it  long  afterwards,  Dr.  Dabney 
said : 

"I  felt  that  I  must  just  let  myself  loose.  It  was  a  fight  for  life  or 
death.  I  began  about  thus :  'Mr.  Chairman,  I  find  myself  so  largely  out 
of  harmony  with  the  views  thus  far  expressed  on  this  floor  that  I  fear 
my  effort  must  be  in  vain  to  bring  my  brethren  into  any  sympathy  with 
the  views  which  govern  me;  but  these  views  compel  me  to  speak  out 
for  my  church.  Mr.  Chairman,  my  Creator  fashioned  me  a  creature 
that  thinks,  and  he  impressed  on  my  soul  this  inevitable  law  that  my 
feelings  must  accompany  my  thoughts,  as  necessarily  as  the  caloric  ray 
accompanies  the  luminous  in  the  sunbeam.  Hence,  when  I  am  required 
to  exclude  all  feeling,  and  decide  the  destiny  of  our  beloved  church  upon 
calculation  alone,  an  impossibility  is  demanded  of  me.  It  is  a  necessity 
of  the  nature  given  me  by  God  that  I  must  feel  what  I  honestly  think. 
It  is  my  duty  and  my  right  to  feel  with  every  legitimate  emotion  of  my 
heart  in  this  great  cause.  I  would  not  surrender  this  right  if  I  could.' 
I  then  argued  that  the  deep,  instinctive  recoil  of  the  best  and  holiest  in 
our  communion  from  the  embrace  of  the  misguided  men,  who  had 
murdered  our  sons  and  our  country,  was  not  unreasonable,  not  unchris- 
tian revenge,  not  malice,  but  a  lawful  and  necessary  moral  sentiment. 
This  sentiment  does  not  ask  for  retaliation  upon  the  wrong-doers,  but 
leaves  them  to  God  and  their  own  consciences,  praying  that  they  may 
receive  from  him  that  mercy  which  we  need  ourselves.  The  feeling 
only  claims  its  right  to  protect,  to  cherish  our  own  honest  convictions, 
to  preserve  the  independence  providentially  granted  us  from  the  spiritual 
which  these  men  have  so  cruelly  abused  in  the  hour  of  trial. 

"Our  advocates  had  always  shown  tender-footedness  and  timidity  in 
following  out  their  argument  against  the  Northern  Assembly's  usurpa- 
tion of  deciding  secular  questions  by  spiritual  authority.  They  abstained 
carefully  from  raising  and  discussing  the  question  what  sort  of  secular 
authority  the  tyrannical  church  was  seeking  to  enforce  by  its  spiritual 
sanctions.  Thus  they  seemed  to  admit  that  coercionism  might  be  politi- 
cally and  religiously  as  righteous  as  States'  Rights,  by  limiting  their 
contention  to  the  position  that  both  questions  were  merely  secular. 
Thus  they  deprived  themselves  of  all  the  strength  of  the  argument 
founded  upon  the  unspeakable  treacheries,  barbarities  and  murders  of 
Lincolnism.  The  cause  of  these  feeble  tactics  was  that  the  Yankees 
bullied  and  confused  them  with  this  sophism,  'Oh !  men,  if  you  raise 
these  questions,  you  are  guilty  of  the  same  error  which  you  charge  upon 
us,  that  of  confounding  the  secular  with  the  spiritual.'  Even  Thornwell 
betrays  this  timidity  in  his  'Address  to  All  the  Churches,'  adopted  by 
the  Augusta  Assembly  of  December,  1861.  The  sophism  always  ap- 
peared to  me  as  shallow  as  impudent.  The  moment  the  Northern  As- 
sembly claimed  the  right  to  impose  Lincolnism  on  our  consciences  by 
23 


354        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

their  spiritual  authority,  they  made  Lincolnism  a  constituent  part  of 
their  ecclesiastical  system.  Then,  by  most  just  argument  ad  hominem 
as  against  them,  it  became  our  right  to  discuss  Lincolnism  from  the 
ecclesiastical  and  spiritual  point  of  view.  Yea,  necessary  so  to  do.  How 
plain  is  this?  If,  for  instance,  it  was  competent  to  the  Assembly  of 
1861  to  decide  spiritually  that  secession  by  a  State  is  the  sin  of  rebellion 
condemned  by  Paul  and  Peter,  then  it  became  the  ecclesiastical  and 
spiritual  rights  of  us,  the  defendants,  to  debate  that  question,  and  to 
prove  historically  and  legally  that  secession  was  not  rebellion.  Let  me 
add  here  that  one  feature  of  the  Spring's  resolution  of  the  Assembly  of 
1861  showed,  in  the  most  lurid  light,  the  essential  popery  and  tyranny 
of  its  action.  The  abolition  majority  took  the  freest  scope  to  assert  and 
argue  that  State  secession  was  the  sin  of  rebellion,  thus  making  it  a 
constituent  part  of  their  ecclesiastical  and  spiritual  system ;  but  as  soon 
as  our  men  proposed  to  accept  this  gauge  of  forensic  battle,  and  to  argue 
the  negative,  they  were  silenced  by  the  threat  of  the  lamp-post  and 
halter;  they  were  assured  that  if  they  dared  to  defend  themselves,  the 
godly  Jacobins  of  Philadelphia  would  say,  'You  are  defiling  the  sacred 
courts  of  the  Lord's  house  with  your  damnable  treason,  and  you  shall 
die  instantly.'  And  a  holy  mob  of  Abolitionists  would  have  dragged 
them  right  out  of  the  church,  and,  for  the  greater  glory  of  God,  mur- 
dered their  'dear  Southern  brethren'  in  the  streets." 

In  his  further  account  of  this  speech,  Dr.  Dabney  shows 
that  Dr.  Green  has  correctly  reported  the  gist  of  his  argument 
and  feelings ;  and  that  down  to  the  end  of  his  Hfe  he  continued 
to  approve  the  heroic  work  he  did  that  night. 

Rarely  has  there  ever  been  seen  in  a  deliberative  body  such 
a  sudden  wave  of  apparently  refluent  feeling  and  opinion.  As 
Dabney  took  his  seat,  quivering  with  mental  excitement,  old 
Dr.  Wilson  sidled  up  and  whispered,  "Dr.  Dabney,  you  have 
saved  the  Southern  Church."  Some  of  the  men  who  had  spoken 
on  the  wrong  side  that  evening  rose  to  retract  and  to  thank 
Dr.  Dabney  for  "the  light"  he  had  thrown  on  the  subject.  One 
of  these  in  particular,  a  distinguished  elder,  made  his  retraction 
and  rendered  his  thanks  in  terms  so  laudatory  of  the  man  who 
had  spoken  out  the  truth,  as  he  saw  it,  with  all  his  heart,  that 
Dabney  asked  Dr.  Wilson  whether  the  man  were  not  satirizing 
him.  "No,"  said  Dr.  Wilson,  "he  is  too  true  a  gentleman ;  he 
is  perfectly  honest  and  candid ;   he  means  just  what  he  says." 

"The  matter  was  settled  then  and  there,"  writes  Dr.  Green. 
"The  Committee  of  the  Whole  adjourned,  but  the  minds  of  all 
were  made  up.  There  might  be  some  difference  of  opinion  as 
to  the  best  way  to  proceed.     But  all  were  agreed  that  the  tiger 


Settled  in  Virginia.  355 

was  in  those  people.  We  wanted  lo  have  no  more  to  do  with 
them." 

As  a  result  of  this  meeting,  the  Assembly  resolved  to  raise 
a  conservative  committee  to  make  their  answer.  Dr.  Palmer 
was  again  made  chairman,  and  when  his  resolutions  were 
adopted,  Dr.  Van  Dyke  said,  "They  have  stripped  every  leaf 
from  the  olive  branch,  and  made  a  rod  of  it  to  beat  us 
with."  « 

It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  Dr.  Dabney  had  been  informed  of 
the  probable  necessity  for  such  a  fight  some  weeks  beforehand, 
and  not  only  through  the  public  prints,  but  by  private  letters. 
His  friend,  Niven,  an  elder  in  Dr.  Van  Dyke's  church,  prior 
to  the  union  of  the  Old  and  New  School  bodies,  had  written 
him  of  the  situation  in  March,  and,  again  on  May  2nd,  as 
follows : 

"Dear  Dr.  Dabney:  I  see  by  the  Central  that  you  are  a  commis- 
sioner to  your  General  Assembly.  Good.  Now  to  my  object  in  writing. 
The  furor  for  union  with  the  Southern  General  Assembly  is  increasing. 
The  Presbytery  of  Nassau,  and  also  of  New  York  have  overtured  the 
General  Assembly  (North)  to  urge  this  measure.  They  are  all  deluded 
with  the  idea  that  a  great  many  of  your  ministers  and  people  are  panting 
for  this  consummation.  The  movement  will  be  made  at  an  early  day 
of  the  session,  and  probably  a  committee  sent  on  to  Louisville.  This 
will  be  your  time  to  turn  the  tables  if  your  Assembly  is  only  discreet 
and  prudent.  Now  ponder  your  steps  carefully,  and  you  will  catch  these 
radicals  in  their  own  trap.  Do  not  bluff  them  off  too  suddenly.  Meet 
them  kindly  and  in  a  Christian  spirit,  but  refer  the  communication  to  a 
shrewd  committee.     Keep  out  fire-eaters,  or  they  will  spoil  it  all.     Let 

°  Dr.  Green  writes  in  the  very  interesting  letter  already  so  much, 
quoted:  "Yes,  and  that  same  Dr.  Van  Dyke  said  to  us  confidentially, 
'This  big  reunited  Old  and  New  School  affair  won't  hold  together  but  a 
short  time,  and- 1  want  you  Southern  brethren  to  come  over,  for  when 
the  split  comes,  we  can  count  on  you.'  Dr.  Dabney  (I  think  it  was) 
said,  'We  do  not  propose  to  join  you  just  to  have  a  fight.'  When  asked 
why  he  did  not  stand  out  and  protest  against  a  union  which  sacrificed 
principles,  he  said,  'The  union  was  inevitable,  it  could  not  be  stopped, 
and  if  I  was  obliged  to  take  passage  on  the  old  ship,  I  proposed  to  walk 
the  quarter  deck.'  Said  Dr.  Palmer,  'Van  Dyke,  the  big,  reunited  church 
will  not  go  to  pieces  as  soon  as  you  think.  It  will  stand  till  you  are 
dead ;  but  you  men  who  have  sacrificed  principle  will  not  walk  the 
quarter  deck.  You  have  sacrificed  true  principles,  and  without  those, 
your  moral  power  and  influence  are  gone.'  "  {Dr.  Green's  Letter,  dated 
July  I,  1901.) 


356         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

that  committee  take  up  Dr.  Palmer's  pamphlet  where  all  the  base 
charges  and  vile  epithets  are  piled  upon  your  devoted  heads,  and  in  a 
condensed  form  review  the  whole  case.  Coming  to  this  conclusion  or 
something  like  it,  viz. :  'If  these  solemn  and  authoritative  charges 
against  the  Southern  Church  are  true,  she  is  unfit  to  fellowship  with  any 
■church  of  Christ.  If  they  are  false,  which  the  proposed  action  assumes, 
then  retract  the  slander  as  publicly  as  it  was  made,  and  under  as  solemn 
sanction.'  You  will  have  them  in  this  dilemma,  and  let  them  choose 
their  own  horse. 

"When  they  have  made  their  choice,  then  the  Southern  Assembly 
can  say,  in  all  dignity  and  self-respect,  that  they  do  not  choose  to  betray 
the  truth  of  God  by  going  into  such  a  variegated  body  as  the  Church, 
North,  now  is.  Your  own  brain  will  be  able  to  see  what  filling  up  will 
make  this  scheme  perfect,  and  put  the  North  utterly  in  fault  before  the 
Christian  world. 

"I  had  a  long  confab  with  Van  Dyke  a  few  days  ago  as  to  his  course. 
I  plainly  denounced  it  as  time-serving.  He  came  near  losing  his  temper, 
and  I  was  a  little  excited,  and  possibly  a  little  bitter  in  my  remarks.  I 
congratulated  him  on  the  eminence  he  had  attained  in  the  Allied  Host. 
He  retorted  by  saying  he  could  not  prudently  do  otherwise.  I  said, 
'Then  you  conferred  with  flesh  and  blood  and  worldly  wisdom  pre- 
cailed,  etc.,  etc'  I  said  in  conclusion,  'You  are  in  the  Neiv  Body;  I  am 
not.'  Poor  man,  I  troubled  him,  but  I  could  not  do  otherwise  with  a 
good  conscience.  I  shant  wonder  if  they  send  Van  Dyke  as  their  am- 
bassador to  Louisville,  hoping  that  that  will  sugar  the  pill. 

"In  haste.  Yours  in  Christ,  T.  M.  Niven." 

From  the  Assembly  at  Louisville,  Dr.  Dabney  proceeded  to 
Mississippi  to  look  after  some  of  his  mother's  land ;  and  then 
he  hies  him  back  to  his  "Binney,"  to  whom,  from  Louisville, 
he  had  "sent  a  picture  of  an  old  friend"  she  "used  to  like,"  to 
his  family  and  to  his  work,  a  part  of  which  was  to  break  Dr. 
Van  Dyke's  bones  with  his  pen.  The  Doctor,  who  had  been 
so  strong  in  his  Old  Schoolism,  and  who  was  now  "the  noisiest 
toad  in  his  new  puddle,"  "'  had  issued  a  pamphlet  justifying  the 
fusion  of  the  Old  and  New  School  bodies,  "for  distribution 
primarily  among  his  own  congregation,  for  the  purpose  of  keep- 
ing himself  right  in  their  eyes" ;  Mr.  Niven  had  mailed  a  copy 
to  his  friend,  Dabney.  Dabney  turned  a  white  light  on  that 
pamphlet  for  an  hour  or  so,  and  published  what  he  saw  in  the 
Christian  Observer. 

Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer  lets  us  see  how  this  piece  of  Dabney's  work 
struck  him  in  the  following  letter : 

^  So  Mr.  Niven  puts  it. 


I 


Settled  in  Virginia.  357 

"New  Orleans,  July  12,  1870. 
"Rev.  R.  L.  Dahncy,  D.  D. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother:  I  have  just  risen  from  the  perusal 
of  your  letter  to  Dr.  Van  Dyke,  in  the  Christian  Observer;  and  with 
more  warmth  than  my  pen  can  easily  express,  I  desire  to  return  you  my 
thanks  for  the  same.  It  is  absolutely  destructive,  and  there  is  nothing 
left  to  be  added  to  a  discussion  which  seems  to  me  exhaustive. 

"I  had  just  got  hold  of  the  pamphlet  issued  by  Dr.  Van  Dyke,  pur- 
porting to  be  a  documentary  history  of  the  negotiations  between  the 
two  Assemblies,  and  felt  so  provoked  by  the  special  pleading  of  his 
running  commentary  upon  it  that  I  had  half  resolved  to  do  the  exact 
thing  which  you  have  done— to  pass  the  whole  matter  under  review  in  a 
letter  addressed  directly  to  him.  There  is  now  no  need  of  it,  for  you 
have  covered  the  ground  as  completely  as  if  the  pamphlet  had  been  the 
special  subject  of  criticism.  Some  reply  of  this  kind  was  called  for, 
and,  on  several  accounts,  it  comes  better  from  you  than  from  myself,  to 
say  nothing  of  its  being  far  more  ably  done. 

"Your  letter  is  sufficiently  moderate  in  tone,  and  I  am  glad  that  you 
have  dropt  nothing  that  any  reasonable  person  can  possibly  object  to. 
I  do  not  know  that  you  will  find  any  special  gratification  in  this  expres- 
sion from  me,  but  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  say  that  I  regard  the 
whole  church  as  placed  under  heavy  obligations  to  you  for  so  timely  a 
service.  May  God  bless  you,  and  long  spare  you  to  be  a  pillar  in  our 
Israel.  Yours  most  fraternally,  B.  M.  Palmer." 

He  and  Palmer  were  to  continue  throughout  their  lives  to 
watch  against  and  to  fight  fusion  with  the  Northern  Church. 

While  so  hostile  to  union  with  the  Northern  Presbyterian 
Church,  Dr.  Dabney  was  not  hostile  to  union  with  churches  in 
the  soundness  of  whose  faith  and  polity  he  had  full  confidence. 
This  he  had  shown  in  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  union  with  the 
Synod  of  the  South,  already  accomplished ;  and  was  now  to 
show  again.  In  1871,  a  correspondence  was  begun  between 
the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America,  popu- 
larly known  as  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  and  the  Southern 
Church.  The  correspondence  developed  mutual  admiration,  and 
resulted  in  the  formal  adoption  of  an  elaborate  plan  for  coopera- 
tion of  these  bodies  in  various  forms  of  ecclesiastical  work. 
Dr.  Dabney  favored  this  movement,  and  after  inquiry  as  to  the 
current  conditions  in  that  church,  ecclesiastical,  theological  and 
political.  Among  the  letters  addressed  to  him  at  this  time  there 
is  one  of  great  interest  from  his  friend,  Niven,  of  New  York, 
which  gives  a  good  sketch  of  the  body  in  its  main  features. 

Brought  before  his  church  thus  prominently  as  teacher,  writer 


358         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

and  ecclesiastic,  it  was  inevitable,  also,  that  he  should  be  called 
on  by  many  of  those  who  had  learned  to  look  to  him  as  a  great 
power  in  the  behalf  of  any  cause  that  enlisted  his  sympathies, 
for  incidental  services  of  multitudinous  kinds. 

He  had  for  the  Campinas  Mission  the  warmest  interest.  He 
naturally  felt  this  interest.  In  a  manuscript  life  of  the  Rev. 
Edward  Lane,  D.  D.,  prepared  by  him,  he  gives  the  following 
account  of  the  origin  of  our  Brazil  Mission,  which  had  opened 
the  way  for  the  other  Protestant  missions  in  that  country. 

"A  close  Christian  friendship  had  been  growing  up  between  Dr. 
Leighton  Wilson  and  myself  before  the  war,  during  his  official  visits  to 
the  South.  This  friendship  was  cemented  in  New  York  during  the 
sessions  of  the  Assembly  in  1856.  Soon  afterwards  I  began  to  urge 
upon  the  Doctor  my  views  concerning  the  special  claims  of  the  popish 
populations  of  America  upon  our  help.  Dr.  Wilson  was  then  associate 
secretary  of  the  Assembly's  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  Its  first  secre- 
tary, the  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie,  had  directed  its  views  and  efforts  to  Hin- 
doostan,  China,  Africa,  and  the  American  Indians.  We  had  not  a  single 
missionary  in  Mexico  or  South  America.  My  arguments  as  laid  before 
Dr.  Wilson  were,  that  as  long  as  our  forces  were  inadequate  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  whole  of  the  pagan  field,  it  was  both  our  wisdom  and 
our  duty  to  put  in  our  first  work  where  it  promised  to  produce  the 
largest  and  speediest  fruits ;  that  this  was  the  way  to  accelerate  that 
multiplying  progression  in  our  Christian  forces  by  which  alone  we  could 
ever  overtake  the  whole  of  the  enormous  task  of  world-wide  evangeliza- 
tion; that  civilized  populations,  already  imbued  with  partial  theistic 
and  gospel  ideas,  although  dominated  by  an  apostate  form  of  Christi- 
anity, would  yield  much  readier  and  larger  fruits  than  mere  pagans, 
who  have  to  be  taught  everything,  who  had  never  heard  even  the  names 
of  Jehovah  and  Christ,  whose  very  languages  furnished  no  terms  for 
even  expressing  the  foundation  concepts  of  regeneration,  sanctification 
and  redemption,  whose  religious  ideas  were  a  contrast  and  a  contradic- 
tion to  those  of  the  Bible ;  finally,  that  the  Apostle  Paul  had  set  us  an 
instructive  precedent  in  his  foreign  missionary  labors,  by  going  always 
first  to  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews  of  the  dispersion.  Though  he  found 
them  embittered  by  prejudice  and  perverted  from  the  truth,  yet  he  did 
find  them  monotheists,  with  their  Sabbaths,  their  sacraments,  and  their 
church  government.  They  were  still  familiar  with  the  great  Bible  con- 
ceptions of  God,  immortality  and  the  judgment.  His  sanctified  tactics 
were  to  work  up  first  the  half-prepared  material  before  attacking  the 
wholly  unprepared.  For  these  reasons,  I  suggested  the  Empire  of 
Brazil,  then  under  the  stable  and  liberal  government  of  Don  Pedro,  as 
the  most  hopeful  field  for  experiment,  and  I  pointed  to  the  rapid  success 
which  the  Scotch  Portugese  missionary.  Dr.  Kalley,  was  winning  in  Rio 
de  Janeiro. 


Settled  4N  Virginia.  359 

"Dr.  Wilson  soon  acceded  to  my  views  -and  pressed  them  upon  his 
committee,  but  at  first  with  small  encouragement.  They  could  see 
nothing  except  ultra  paganism.  He  related  that  after  a  good  deal  of 
pertinacity,  they  consented  that  he  might  plant  our  mission  in  Brazil; 
but  he  added,  humorously,  that  their  consent  was  not  from  conviction, 
but  from  the  species  of  weariness  expressed  by  the  American  woman, 
who  was  so  pertinaciously  wooed  by  an  Irish  suitor  that  she  said  she 
had  to  marry  him  to  get  rid  of  him.  Such  was  the  beginning  of  the 
great  Presbyterian  mission  in  Brazil,  which  has  become  so  fruitful  that, 
by  the  joint  labors  of  the  Northern  and  Southern  missions,  there  now 
exists  a  strong  Synod. 

"It  can  be  understood,  therefore,  how  Dr.  Wilson,  when  he  came  to 
be  director  of  our  foreign  missions,  turned  his  eyes  early  to  that  field. 
It  can  also  be  surmised  what  would  be  the  tenor  of  my  counsels  and 
advice  to  my  young  brethren  in  Union  Seminary.  Two  of  them  soon 
became  imbued  with  my  ideas,  and  ofifered  themselves  to  found  another 
Brazilian  mission." 

He  loved  these  two  early  missionaries,  and  particularly  Mr. 
Lane.  With  him  he  kept  up  a  steady  correspondence;  busied 
himself  in  helping  to  raise  a  special  fund  for  Campinas  School ; 
went  lecturing  to  raise  the  money ;  got  others  to  make  a  similar 
effort.  Dr.  McNeilly,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  has  illustrated  Dr. 
Dabney's  labors  of  this  sort  by  the  following  incident.  He 
writes  to  Dr.  C.  W.  Dabney,  under  date  of  March  21,  190 1 : 

In  1870,  or  1871,  he  and  your  mother  made  a  visit  to  Nashville,  and 
were  entertained  by  Mrs.  R.  S.  HoUins,  who  was  a  sister  of  Prof. 
Charles  Martin.  They  were  with  me  a  part  of  the  time.  Your  father 
was  very  much  interested  in  the  sending  out  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lane  and 
Mr.  Morton,  to  Brazil.  He  had  a  conference  with  the  leading  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city,  and  he  so  powerfully  presented 
the  need  of  the  Brazil  mission  that  he  secured  a  very  handsome  amount 
to  send  out  the  brethren  to  the  work.  I  remember  that  at  that  time  my 
church,  Woodland  Street,  was  quite  small,  only  a  little  over  one  hundred 
members,  and  they  gave  over  four  hundred  dollars.  I  think  the  amount 
altogether  was  over  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  Nashville.  He  then  im- 
pressed me  as  one  of  the  most  pozverful  men  I  ever  saw.  He  sat  in  the 
midst  of  the  company  of  gentlemen,  and  in  easy,  familiar  style  talked 
for  an  hour,  and  his  statement  was  so  clear,  his  appeals  to  the  conscience 
so  earnest,  that  there  was  no  resisting  him."  ^ 

He  also  busied  himself  in  trying  to  send  a  suitable  teacher 
for  the  school.     He  approved  the  audacity  of  the  Campinas 

'  From  Letter,  March  21,  1901. 


360        Life  and  Letters  of  Rot3ert  Lewis  Dabney. 

College  enterprise  as  timely,  and  advised  the  missionaries  there 
on  many  matters,  with  profound  insight  and  far-reaching 
sagacity. 

The  poor  about  him  had  his  thorough-going  and  helpful 
sympathies.  A  mile  from  his  house  there  lived  a  worthy  and 
in  every  way  excellent  widow  of  advanced  age.  Her  husband 
had  been  a  distinguished  lawyer,  but  he  had  died  penniless, 
involved  in  the  ruin  that  had  swept  over  his  country.  Dr. 
Dabney  writes  of  her  case  to  his  friend,  Niven,  and  asks  him 
to  get  some  rich  man  in  New  York  to  do  something  for  her. 
Niven  did  not  know  where  to  find  the  man  for  the  case ;  and 
hence  he  writes,  on  the  i6th  of  December,  1872: 

"So,  after  thinking  and  dreaming  and  praying  over  this  particular 
case,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  I  waited  for  help,  the  poor  old 
lady  might  suffer  and  perhaps  die ;  and  finally,  instead  of  sending  a 
present  contribution,  I  thought  if  I  could  manage  a  semi-annual  pay- 
ment, however  small,  it  would  help  smooth  the  good  old  disciple's  path- 
way to  her  grave,  and  to  her  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens,  where  she  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more,  and 
where  our  cold  and  pinched  contribution  will  never  be  desired  or 
required.     .     .     . 

"I  have  but  little;  God,  in  great  wisdom  and  mercy,  thought  it  best 
for  me,  and  I  thank  him  for  the  mercy ;  but  I  will  divide.  The 
devil  suggested  that  I  was  silly  in  making  this  hole  in  my  little  store, 
but  God's  grace  enables  me  to  turn  my  back  on  him.  It  is  a  trifle  in- 
deed, but  forty  dollars  every  six  months  will  do  a  little  for  the  comfort 
of  our  aged  friend,  especially  if  my  good  friend,  Mrs.  Dabney,  is  the 
quartermaster;  and  then  when  God  shall  call  our  aged  mother  home  to 
glory,  may  it  not  assist  some  pious  youth  toward  the  pulpit  to  preach 
the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God?  I  know  it  is  not  a  scholarship, 
as  the  word  goes ;  but  I  do  also  know  that  seventy  or  eighty  dollars 
per  year  would  be  a  great  help  to  many  a  young  man  striving  in  his 
poverty  to  gain  a  theological  education.  So  you  may  call  it  what  you 
please,  only  let  it  do  the  work  I  desire.'' 

This  is  but  one  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  he  served 
the  poor  in  Prince  Edward.  He  had  written  on  Friday,  May 
17th,  from  Louisville,  "Robinson  has  an  appointment  out  for  me 
to  preach  my  perjury  sermon  to-night,  and  to  take  up  a  collec- 
tion for  the  poor  in  Prince  Edward;"  and  on  May  31st,  "I 
went  up  to  Shelbyville  Saturday  evening,  thirty  miles  ;  preached 
twice  for  Grasty ;  got  nearly  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  poor 
additional."    Nor  did  he  stop  with  raising  money  for  the  desti- 


Settled  in  Virginia.  361 

tute  about  him ;  he  bought  necessities  for  them  by  the  whole- 
sale ;  sold  for  what  they  could  pay,  in  cases  where  they  could 
pay  anything ;  and  to  those  too  poor  to  pay  any  price,  he  gave 
according  to  their  need,  reinvested  the  money  thus  acquired, 
and  distributed  again  in  like  manner. 

By  the  time  the  reconstruction  period  had  passed  he  was  the 
one  member  of  his  mother's  family  in  really  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances. He  became  more  and  more  their  adviser  and  stay. 
His  letters  show  that  he  aided,  by  advice  and  sympathy,  and 
in  more  substantial  ways,  every  brother  and  sister  of  his  in 
these  years.  They  all  consulted  him  in  their  greater  perplexi- 
ties, and  he  never  failed  them.  To  his  mother  he  became  more, 
rather  than  less,  tender.  This  is  shown  in  his  unflagging  and 
most  respectful  and  reverent  correspondence  with  her  and  about 
her.    Here  is  a  typical  letter : 

"March  23,  1873. 

"My  Dear  Mother  :  I  have  concluded  to  devote  a  few  moments  of 
this  quiet  Sunday  to  sending  you  our  love  and  our  prayers  and  wishes. 
I  hope  you  are  enjoying  as  comfortable  health  as  the  years  which  you 
carry  will  allow,  and  are  as  free  from  annoyances  and  troubles  as  the 
condition  of  this  evil  world  will  allow.  Every  day,  I  suppose,  is  pretty 
much  like  a  Sabbath  to  you.  May  this  quiet  of  your  old  age  be  to  you 
the  foretaste  of  the  everlasting  rest,  which  remaineth  to  the  people  of 
God.  I  have  often  desired  to  hear  you  speak  of  your  Christian  hope 
and  comfort  in  view  of  your  release ;  but  somehow,  when  present  with 
you,  I  have  felt  myself  restrained  by  my  reverence  for  you,  and  the 
sacredness  of  the  subject.  I  would  suggest  that  it  would  be  well  to 
leave  on  record    (through   Sister  Anne's  pen)    some  testimony  to  our 

Saviour.     It  might,  for  instance,  be  greatly  blessed  to  .     He,  I 

fear,  is  an  unhappy  man.  with  worldly  hopes  and  pleasures  effectually 
overclouded  by  the  calamities  of  the  country,  and  the  failure  of  his 
health,  and  with  no  solid  peace  in  Christ;  but  I  know  he  has  many 
serious  thoughts,  and  his  natural  pride  has  to  struggle  hard  to  prevent 
his  adopting  that  prayer  of  the  publican,  which  is  so  proper  for  us 
all. 

"There  have  been  many  alarms  of  fire  this  March :  a  quantity  of 
woods  and  fences  burned,  and  some  houses.  This  morning  the  Semi- 
nary caught  afire  from  a  burning  chimney,  notwithstanding  a  slate  roof, 
which  we  thought  was  a  good  one.  Luckily,  there  are  so  many  people 
about  that  the  smoke  was  seen  at  once,  and  it  was. soon  out.  Had  it 
happened  between  midnight  and  day,  it  would  have  swept  all.  I  hope 
Sister  Anne  is  very  careful  about  fire.  Give  my  best  love  to  her,  to 
Bob,  who  I  hope  is  a  great  comfort  to  you;  and  to  Sister  Mary. 

"Your  affectionate  son,  R.  L.  Dabney." 


362         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

This  venerable  and  excellent  woman  had  felt  keenly  the  loss 
of  her  husband  in  her  young  womanhood,  the  loss  of  her  most 
amiable  and  attractive  daughter  Betty  in  the  first  part  of  the 
war,  the  loss  of  her  granddaughter,  Miss  Harriet  Johnson,  who 
had  for  years  more  nearly  taken  Betty's  place  as  companion 
and  nurse  than  any  other  could.  The  members  of  her  family 
had  suffered  sorely  in  the  war  and  reconstruction.  Mrs.  Dab- 
ney had  been  for  years  blind.  But  she  retained  the  use  of  her 
mental  faculties  and  much  of  her  uncommon  courage  to  the 
very  last.  She  showed  herself  worthy  of  being  the  mother  of 
a  great  man.  On  the  12th  of  May,  1873,  she  was  gathered  into 
the  fold  above. 

Her  children  soon  after  read  the  following  appreciative 
account  of  her  life  and  virtues : 

"This  notice  marks  the  rupture  of  another  of  the  few  remaining 
links  which  connect  the  present  with  the  happy  past.  The  subject  of  it 
was  born  September  26,  1784,  almost  in  Revolutionary  times ;  daughter 
of  Capt.  Thomas  Price,  of  Hanover,  and  granddaughter  of  EHzabeth 
Randolph,  of  Wilton,  she  was  reared  in  the  midst  of  that  society  in 
which  the  men  of  1776  were  then  moving  in  their  prime.  She  sat  upon 
the  knee  of  John  Marshall,  her  father's  tosom  friend,  and  searched  for 
British  relics  where  Cornwallis  had  recently  encamped  upon  her  own 
native  fields.  She  sent  forth  her  husband  into  the  war  of  1812,  a  young, 
unprotected  wife,  with  her  little  babes  around  her.  She  lived  to  have 
her  peaceful  home  burned,  and  her  property  plundered  in  the  war  of 
secession,  when  an  aged  widow,  and  to  see  the  last  revolution  per- 
fected. It  may  be  almost  said  that  the  whole  history  of  the  American 
people  was  represented  in  her  experience. 

"The  6th  of  September,  1808,  she  was  married  to  Charles  Dabney, 
Esq.,  of  Louisa,  and  removed  with  him  soon  after  to  his  native  neigh- 
borhood. On  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  this  union,  September  6, 
1833,  her  husband  was  suddenly  taken  from  her  by  death,  in  the  prime 
of  his  days.  He  had  become  the  darling  of  his  people,  their  trusted 
counsellor  and  leader,  in  clnirch  and  state,  on  the  seat  of  justice  and  in 
private  life ;  revered  and  beloved  for  his  philanthropy,  his  integrity, 
and  his  piety.  Nearly  forty  years  his  widow  faithfully  awaited  her 
unending  reunion,  devoting  herself  exclusively  to  the  rearing  of  his 
children,  with  a  tenderness,  wisdom  and  firmness  rarely  equalled,  until 
at  length  she  entered  quietly  into  her  rest  when  nearly  eighty-nine  years 
of  age.  During  this  long  widowhood  she  was  tried  with  almost  every 
form  of  calamity,  in  addition  to  her  first  great  bereavement :  with 
pecuniary  embarrassments  long  continued,  with  ill  health,  with  the 
successive  loss  of  beloved  children  and  grandchildren,  with  military 
ravage,  and  finally  with  three  years  of  total  blindness.     All  were  borne 


Settled  in  Virginia.  363 

with  the  courage  of  a  Roman  matron,  combined  with  the  true  submis- 
sion of  the  Christian.  Her  meetness  to  partake  of  the  inheritance  of 
the  saints  in  light  was  at  length  perfected.  Her  last  days,  passed  in 
peaceful  retreat,  shone  with  a  cheerfulness,  love,  and  assurance  of  hope, 
which  completely  defended  every  faculty,  save  the  outward  sight,  from 
the  customary  decays  of  extreme  age,  and  which  have  proved  them- 
selves to  be  the  brightening  dawn  of  heaven.  She  was  at  last  tenderly 
released  from  the  bonds  of  the  decaying  flesh,  without  the  anxieties  of 
anticipation,  without  a  shadow  of  fear,  and  without  feeling  the  stroke 
of  the  last  enemy.  Her's  was  a  translation,  and  not  a  death.  'So  he 
giveth  his  beloved  sleep.' 

"The  deceased  was  one  of  the  brightest  types  of  that  class  of  Vir- 
ginia matrons,  whose  traits  this  journal  has  formerly  endeavored  to 
embalm,  and  which,  we  fear,  will  soon  be  known  only  in  the  recollec- 
tions of  descendants.  Their  eminence  was  in  the  spheres  of  the  Chris- 
tian, the  wife,  the  mother,  and  the  mistress.  Home  was  their  realm, 
disinterested,  self-sacrificing  love  their  sceptre,  and  the  hearts  of  hus- 
band, children  and  servants  their  throne.  They  were  educated  exclu- 
sively in  the  privacy  of  home,  and  accomplished  rather  by  association 
with  cultivated  and  chivalrous  seniors  than  by  the  arts  of  masters  and 
tutors.  Their  religion  was  sound,  rational,  devout,  but  retiring;  shrink- 
ing with  sensitive  reserve  from  parade,  but  disclosing  its  power  in 
untiring  devotion  to  duty;  nurtured  by  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures 
and  a  few  good  books,  and  by  a  pulpit  which  was  as  yet  content  with 
the  theology  of  the  Westminster  Assembly  and  the  Thirty-nine  Articles. 
This  was  the  type  of  female  character  from  which  the  inspired  portrait 
of  Proverbs  xxxi.  was  drawn — 'Their  children  rise  up  and  call  them 
blessed;  their  husbands  also,  they  praise  them.'" 


In  1874  Dr.  Dabney  was  forced  by  ill-health  to  resign  his 
pastorship  of  the  Colleg-e  Church.  In  April,  1873,  he  had  the 
grippe  severely  while  attending  the  Presbytery  in  Charlottes- 
ville. This  developed  his  old  bronchitis  in  an  aggravated  form. 
When  his  mother  died,  about  the  loth  of  May,  he  was  too  sick 
to  attend  the  funeral.  He  did  not  preach  again  till  August.  He 
did  another  year  of  pastoral  work,  but  under  protest  of  his 
constitution.  He  was  now  fifty-four  years  old,  and  felt  it  to 
be  his  "duty  to  husband  his  remaining  strength  for  the  service 
of  the  Seminary,  which  had  the  first  claim  on  him."  So  he 
resigned  his  pastorate  in  the  midsummer  of  1874.  The  session 
and  the  people  acquiesced  reluctantly.  From  that  time  on,  he 
never  held  a  pastoral  charge,  but  continued  to  do  a  great  deal 
of  preaching. 

He  had  continued  to  do  powerful  preaching  in  this  period. 


364         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

This  chapter  has  already  presented  evidence  of  this.  Other  nota- 
ble sermons  were  one  preached  at  the  Farmville  Presbyterian 
Church,  on  John  iv.  28  and  29,  41  and  42,  "The  Bible  its  own 
Witness;"  and  one  on  "False  Swearing,"  Jer.  xxiii.  10:  "By 
reason  of  swearing  the  land  mourneth."  Tlie  former  of  these 
was  published,  at  the  request  of  the  young  men  of  the  Farm- 
ville Church. 

In  June,  1867,  Dr.  Dabney  had  been  elected  a  trustee  of 
Hampden-Sidney  College.  He  served  the  College  with  zeal 
in  this  relation  till  January,  1873.  when  he  resigned.  In  1870 
he  led  his  Board  in  a  characteristic  effort  to  move  the  General 
Assembly  of  Virginia  to  entrust  to  it  one-third  of  the  fund 
arising  from  the  three  hundred  thousand  acres  of  the  public 
lands  of  the  United  States  given  to  the  State  for  the  promotion 
of  agricultural  education.  He  argued  this  course  with  great 
ability  in  a  memorial  adopted  by  the  Board  and  sent  to  the 
General  Assembly,  and  in  a  letter  to  John  L.  Marye,  Esq., 
Lieutenant-Governor.  He  maintained  that  Virginia  needed 
three  agricultural  schools,  one  for  the  Valley,  one  for  the  red 
lands  of  the  Piedmont  region,  and  one  for  the  tobacco  lands  ;  that 
the  funds  were  insufficient  to  maintain  these  several  schools ; 
that,  therefore,  the  schools  ought  to  be  established  as  depart- 
ments of  already  existing  institutions ;  and  that  Hampden- 
Sidney,  the  only  college  in  the  Southside,  a  large  area,  one- 
third  of  the  State  in  area  and  population,  was  certainly  one 
of  the  colleges  to  have  the  new  department.  He  argues  from 
the  character  of  Hampden-Sidney  College,  and  from  what  was 
due  to  the  Southside,  with  immense  cogency.  But  nothing  came 
of  it.  In  June,  1873,  after  his  resignation  from  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  that  body  honored  itself  by  conferring  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.  upon  him. 

In  his  home  life,  he  felt  the  burdens  of  housekeeping  greatly 
under  the  new  order  of  things.  He  wrote  to  his  "Brother 
Lane,"  of  Brazil,  on  the  26th  of  December,  1872: 

"Mrs.  Dabney  is  and  has  been  very  ailing  of  late;  in  bed,  for 
instance,  all  day  to-day.  Has  too  many  people  to  care  for.  is  too  much 
like  Martha,  'cumbered  about  much  serving,'  has  too  much  cooking  to 
do,  and  too  much  company  to  entertain  out  of  too  small  an  income.  I 
am  thinking  very  seriously  of  breaking  up  permanently,  and  going 
finally  to  boarding,  and  I  really  believe  that  she  (who  always  heretofore 
deprecated  it)  is  now  so  seriously  impressed  with  the  overweight  of  her 
burden,  and  the  prospect  of  the  permanent  ruin  of  her  health,  as  even 


Settled  in  Virginia.  365 

to  incline  freely  to  it.  I  had  begun  a  cottage  building  already  (a  com- 
modious school-room)  on  my  own  land,  in  the  coppice  near  where  my 
horse  block  stood.  My  plan  would  be  to  enlarge  it  to  three  rooms, 
vacate  my  present  house  to  a  tenant,  except  the  study,  and  spend  my 
summers  on  my  own  land  in  Amherst,  where  I  have  a  noble  old  man- 
sion.   What  say  you?" 

But  all  worries  to  the  contrary,  nevertheless,  he  was  very 
happy  in  his  home,  in  his  "Binney"  and  his  three  sons,  whose 
development  he  watched  with  intense  and  pleasurable  interest; 
and  to  his  intimate  friends  he  writes  freely  of  his  pleasure  in 
them.    Thus  to  his  "Brother  Lane,"  on  June  15,  1872: 

"Our  Charley  distinguished  himself  quite  highly  on  completing  his 
junior  course  in  College,  getting,  at  the  last  examination  in  philosophy, 
ninety-nine  out  of  one  hundred.  He  stood  at  the  head  of  his  class. 
Dr.  Atkinson  rarely  marks  any  one  so  high.  Sam  is  as  good  and 
thoughtful  as  ever,  and  even  Lewis,  I  think,  is  getting  somewhat  bet- 
ter." 

He  was  very  proud  of  these  fine  fellows,  far  prouder  than 
these  words  would  indicate  to  a  stranger.  He  was  particularly 
proud  of  the  youngster,  of  whom  he  speaks  as  "getting  some- 
what better." 

Dr.  J.  H.  McNeilly  lets  us  see  how  he  appeared  to  his  guests 
in  this  very  year,  1872  : 

"In  1872  and  in  1873,  I  visited  Hampden-Sidney,  and  was  entertained 
by  him.  It  was  to  me  a  feast  to  be  near  him.  He  asked  a  great  many 
questions  about  Middle  Tennessee,  its  crops,  its  geological  structure,  its 
social  life;  and  I  noticed  that  he  took  what  I  told  him,  and  putting  it 
through  his  own  processes  of  thought,  gave  it  back  to  me  transmuted, 
so  that  I  knew  more  about  the  State  than  I  did  before.  His  was  one  of 
the  most  inquisitive  minds  I  ever  met.  He  was  constantly  gaining 
information,  and  as  he  thought  upon  facts  they  had  new  and  richer 
meanings.  I  remember  in  a  conversation  he  asked  me  about  a  certain 
German  materialist,  who  was  lecturing  then  in  some  cities  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley.  He  asked  me  what  was  the  gist  of  the  lecture.  I  told 
him  that  it  was  a  denial  of  the  existence  of  a  soul  or  of  any  spiritual 
principle,  that  there  can,  therefore,  be  no  life  after  this  for  man,  as  his 
mind  is  simply  a  product  of  physical  organization,  and  when  the  organi- 
zation returns  to  dust,  is  disintegrated,  then  mind  ceases ;  that  there 
is  no  God,  no  responsibility  to  God,  no  right  and  wrong;  that  man  is 
to  be  guided  by  what  he  finds  best  for  his  comfort  and  happiness  here. 

"I  then  said,  'Doctor,  suppose  you  had  to  meet  such  a  man  in  argu- 
ment before  an  audience,  how  could  you  answer  him,  seeing  there  is  no 


366         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

common  ground  for  you  to  stand  on?'  He  sat  for  a  minute  or  two,  as  if 
studying  it  over,  then  he  sprang  up  to  his  full  height,  buttoning  his 
coat  about  him — and  he  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  manhood — with 
eyes  flashing,  he  strode  forward,  as  if  on  a  rostrum,  and  said :  'I  would 
call  on  the  audience  and  say,  "Let's  kill  this  fellow!  It  cannot  hurt 
him  more  than  taking  away  a  short  time  of  his  fleshly  life.  It  cannot 
be  wrong,  for  there  is  no  such  thing  as  wrong.  By  experience  we  have 
found  that  such  ideas  as  his  bring  great  trouble  to  the  world,  and  pro- 
duce much  unhappiness ;  so,  for  our  own  comfort  and  peace,  let  us  kill 
him,  and  so  save  ourselves  all  such  trouble."  Then  I  would  say  to  him: 
"Of  course,  you  are  in  no  danger,  we  are  not  going  to  kill  you ;  but 
your  safety  depends  on  that  very  spiritual  sense  of  right  which  you 
sneer  at."  '  I  said,  'Doctor,  that  would  certainly  be  the  argumenteni  ad 
homincm.'  'Yes,'  said  he ;  'but  it  is  absolutely  the  only  argument  to 
which  such  cattle  are  amenable.' 

"He  showed  me  so  much  kindness,  was  so  genuinely  hospitable,  made 
me  feel  so  thoroughly  at  home,  that  I  became  deeply  attached  to  him. 
The  little  glimpse  of  his  family  life  vouchsafed  to  me  then,  showed  a 
home  in  which  Jesus  Christ  was  an  ever-present  power.  There  was 
piety  without  sanctimony,  devotion  to  Christ  without  ostentation." 


CHAPTER  XVi. 

LAST  STADIUM  OF  HIS  COURSE  IN  UNION  SEMINARY. 
(1874-1883.) 

Plans  to  Lighten  his  Labors.— No  Slackening  of  Mental  Labors, 
NOR  Literary  Productiveness.— Work  in  his  Chair  and  outside 
in  the  Seminary's  behalf,  and  the  Condition  of  the  Institu- 
tion.—Second  Edition  of  his  "Syllabus."— "Sensualistic  Phil- 
osophy OF  THE  Nineteenth  Century  Considered."— Writings 
against  Movements  in  the  Church  :  Against  Fusion  with  the 
Northern  Presbyterians  ;  against  the  Pan-Presbyterian  Alli- 
ance Movement.— Controversy  with  Dr.  A.  T.  Bledsoe  and 
"other"  Pelagians.— Writings  on  sundry  Theological  Subjects. 
—Inductive  Logic— Controversy  with  Dr.  William  H.  Ruffner 
over  the  Free  School  System  Imposed  by  the  Underwood  Con- 
stitution.—Writings  ON  Political  Topics.— Editorial  Work  on 
the  "Southern  Presbyterian  Review."— Thought  of  Founding  a 
Review  in  Virginia.— Endeavor  to  Remove  the  "Southern  Pres- 
byterian Review"  to  Richmond,  then  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  and 
TO  Increase  its  Circulation.— Interested  in  Everything.— Con- 
sulted about  many  Movements  and  Questions. — Feels  his  Par- 
tial Isolation,  nevertheless.— Happiness  in  his  own  Family, 
and  in  the  Students,  and  in  Neighbors. 

WE  have  seen  that  in  the  summer  of  1874,  Dr.  Dabney 
resigned  his  pastoral  charge  over  the  College  Church, 
with  a  view  to  lightening  his  labors  at  a  point  where  he  was 
physically  weakest.  The  strain  of  weekly  preaching,  in  addition 
to  his  work  in  the  lecture-room,  was  too  much.  The  progress 
of  his  bronchial  trouble  imperatively  demanded  relief.  The 
Seminary  had  the  prior  claim  on  him.  That  part  of  his  work 
was  indefinitely  more  important.  It  was  right,  as  well  as 
natural,  that  he  should  let  go  the  pastoral  work.  This  change 
did  not  mean  that  he  was  not  still  to  do  a  great  deal  of  preach- 
ing. He  continued  to  preach,  as  his  health  permitted  and  oppor- 
tunity offered,  as  long  as  he  lived.  We  shall,  however,  never 
find  him  in  a  pastoral  charge  again. 

While  giving  up  this   form  of   effort,   he  continued   to   do 
throughout  these  years  the  work  of  his  chair  with  the  mastery, 


368         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

and  the  quickening-  and  vivifying  originality,  which  had  ever 
marked  his  teaching.  Not  only  so,  he  broadened  and  enriched 
his  course,  year  after  year,  as  the  sessions  passed.  Though 
fifty-four  years  old  at  the  beginning  of  this  stadium,  he  still 
grew  in  knowledge,  and  perhaps  in  power.  Nor  did  he,  in 
any  other  decade  of  his  life,  as  teacher  in  Union  Seminary, 
have"  so  many  men  on  whom  to  make  an  impression.  These 
nine  sessions  averaged  each  something  over  fifty-seven  men. 
Two  hundred  new  students  entered  the  Seminary  in  these  years. 
About  forty-five,  who  had  entered  during  the  two  preceding 
years,  sat  under  his  tuition,  some  of  them  one  term,  more  than 
half  of  them  two  terms,  also  in  this  last  period  at  Hampden- 
Sid'ney.  Hence  he  took  part  in  teaching  at  least  one-third  of 
all  the  students  the  institution  had  had,  in  the  fifty-nine  years 
of  its  existence,  down  to  the  close  of  his  labors  there,  in  this 
last  term.  During  the  first  part  of  this  stadium  the  number  of 
students  was  very  large,  seventy-seven  in  the  session  1874-75, 
and  seventy-four  in  that  of  i875-'76.  Then  the  number  dropped 
to  sixty-two,  fifty-one,  fifty-four,  fifty-one,  fifty,  forty-five,  and 
then  fifty-six,  in  the  successive  sessions.  The  great  numbers 
from  1874  to  1876  were  due  to  the  temporary  closure  of  Colum- 
bia Seminary.  There  was  no  other  Seminary  within  the  bounds 
of  the  Southern  Church  then.  Students  from  all  quarters  of 
our  borders  naturally  turned  to  Union  Seminary,  in  Virginia. 
Nor  is  it  saying  too  much  to  affirm  that  Dabney's  name  did 
more  than  any  other  one  name  to  draw  attention  to  that  institu- 
tion. When  Columbia  opened  again,  the  number  of  students 
naturally  fell  off;  but  Dr.  Dabney  believed  that  this  was  not 
the  whole  explanation.  Fraternal  relations  had  been  established 
with  the  Northern  Presbyterian  Church,  and  to  that  "faux  pas" 
he  attributed  the  diminishing  numbers  in  the  Seminary.  On 
September  14,  1876,  he  writes  to  Airs.  Dabney:  "Very  few 
students  in  the  Seminary  ;  not  more  than  about  fifty-five.  This 
comes  of  your  precious  fraternal  relations.  They  are  going 
off  to  Princeton."  On  the  nth  of  February,  1877,  he  wrote 
to  his  friend.  Lane,  in  Brazil :  "Our  Seminary  will  show  only 
about  sixty  students,  a  falling  off  of  about  seventeen  since  year 
before  last.  What  do  you  suppose  is  the  largest  cause  of  this? 
These  'fraternal  relations,'  so  called.  I  feel  much  discouraged." 
This  decline  in  numbers  was  all  the  more  painful  to  him  be- 
cause of  the  special  exertion  in  which  he  had  engaged  recently 
to  build  up  the  interests  of  the  Seminary.     He  had  been  ap- 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     369 

pointed  to  bring  the  institution  into  more  general  notice.  For 
instance,  in  the  summer  of  1875,  ^^^  visited  Kentucky  with  this 
end  in  view,  and  preached  in  Maysville,  Paris,  Millersburg, 
Lexington,  Cynthiana,  Harrodsburg,  Danville,  Richmond,  and 
at  other  places.  His  chief  desire  in  this  extensive  itinerary  had 
been  to  make  friends  for  the  Seminary. 

But  not  only  did  he  thus  labor  assiduously  for  the  Seminary 
in  these  years,  his  literary  productiveness  was  in  nowise  slack- 
ened. Indeed,  it  may  be  questioned  whether  he  was  more  pro- 
ductive in  any  other  period  of  his  life.  A  huge  volume  was 
rewritten  and  much  enlarged ;  another  volume,  of  considerable 
size  and  involving  vast  research,  was  put  through  the  press ; 
newspaper  and  review  articles,  on  theological,  Philosophical  and 
political  topics  galore,  were  thrown,  with  astonishing  rapidity, 
off  that  pen-point  of  ever-pulsing  vitality,  of  which  Moses  D. 
Hoge  had  spoken  so  graciously  when  they  were  college  youths 
together.  Long  series  of  articles  appeared  in  several  different 
weeklies,  and  occasionally  in  dailies,  and  on  all  sorts  of  themes. 
What  an  editor  he  would  have  made !  Opinions  he  had  on  most 
subjects  under  the  sun ;  and  opinions,  too,  worth  the  reading, 
for  the  abounding  energy  and  force  with  which  they  were  pre- 
sented, even  when  not  to  be  accepted.  A  great  Mississippi  river 
of  thought  to  pour  through  his  pages  from  week  to  week  to 
the  public !  He  would  have  lent  a  new  dignity  to  the  word 
editor  as  it  is  read  in  these  parts,  as  he  did  to  the  word 
teacher! 

Naturally,  during  these  years  he  improved,  enlarged  and  ma- 
tured his  lectures  on  theology,  published  in  the  preceding  period 
under  the  title  of  Syllabus  and  Notes  of  the  Course  of  Sys- 
tematic and  Polemic  Theology,  etc.  With  much  labor,  he 
rewrote  the  whole  book,  vastly  improving  it.  On  the  i8th 
of  December,  1878,  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Lane: 

"The  only  new  thing  with  me  is  that  I  have  just  brought  out  a 
second  edition  of  my  theology.  It  is  printed  on  contract  by  the  Pres- 
byterian Publishing  Company,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  corrections  are 
innumerable,  and  the  additions  swell  the  book  from  six  hundred  and 
twenty-three  to  nine  hundred  and  three  pages." 

The  great  reputation  this  book  brought  him  for  profundity 
and  power  has  already  been  remarked  upon  in  describing  the 
first  edition. 

Prior  to  the  publication  of  the  second  edition  of  his  theology, 
24 


370         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Dr.  Dabney  had  brought  out  another  notable  book,  his  The 
Scnsualistic  Philosophy  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  Considered. 
The  first  edition  of  this  work  was  pubHshed  by  Anson  D.  F. 
Randolph  &  Co.,  in  1875.  This  volume  was  the  result  of  a 
series  of  extra  lectures,  delivered  to  his  students  in  the  Semi- 
nary. By  the  "Sensualistic  Philosophy,"  he  means  that  theory 
"which  resolves  all  the  powers  of  the  human  spirit  into  the 
functions  of  the  five  senses,  and  modifications  thereof."  "It  is 
the  philosophy  which  finds  all  its  rudiments  in  sensation.  It 
not  only  denies  to  the  spirit  of  man  all  innate  ideas,  but  all 
innate  powers  of  originating  ideas,  save  those  given  us  from 
our  senses.  It  consequently  attempts  to  account  for  every  gen- 
eral and  every  abstract  judgment,  as  an  empirical  result  of  our 
sensations,  and  consistently  denies  the  validity  of  any  a  priori 
notions."  Dr.  Dabney's  own  philosophy,  on  the  contrary, 
"holds  that  the  human  intelligence  is  not  a  bundle  of  organs, 
but  a  pure  spirit;  it  asserts  for  man  a  reason,  and  not  merely 
senses,  and  their  modifications."  In  his  criticism  of  the  sensual- 
istic schools,  he  makes  the  steady  attempt  to  show  that  their 
tvpe  of  philosophy  "always  involves  tendencies  to  erroneous 
logic,  vitiating  even  the  physical  sciences,  which  it  is  wont  to 
claim  as  its  peculiar  clients ;  to  universal  skepticism ;  to  ideal- 
ism ;  to  nihilism ;  to  the  obliterating  of  moral  distinctions,  and 
the  destruction  of  moral  responsibility ;  to  materialism ;  to  a 
denial  of  the  supernatural ;  and  thus  to  atheism."  He  does  not 
charge  that  every  sensualistic  philosopher  holds  to  all  these 
results,  or  approves  them ;  but  that  "they  are  all  latent  in  the 
system,  and  that  one  or  another  of  them  is  continually  making 
itself  patent  in  the  outgrowth  of  this  philosophy." 

It  has  been  common  to  criticise  this  arguing  so  much  from 
the  consequences  of  the  system  criticised ;  but  it  was  ever  his 
Master's  way  to  judge  of  the  tree  by  its  fruits ;  and  it  is  a 
perfectly  legitimate  method  of  judging.  Even  Dr.  Dabney's 
adversaries  admitted  the  searching,  trenchant,  and  powerful 
character  of  his  criticism.  This  great  work  is  much  more  than 
a  criticism  of  the  false  systems  passed  under  review.  It  is  an 
exposition  and  defence  of  the  true  philosophy  as  well ;  and  its 
author  is  absolutely  independent.  If  Hamilton,  or  any  other 
giant,  has  taught  somewhat  amiss,  Dabney  takes  issue.  He 
swears  in  the  words  of  no  master.  He  for  a  long  time,  indeed 
until  he  wrote  his  Practical  Philosophy,  regarded  this  as  his 
ablest  work.    Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer  said  of  it: 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     371 

"A  genuine  book  bears,  always,  the  image  and  superscription  of  its- 
author.  It  is,  in  the  language  of  Milton,  'the  pure  extraction  of  the 
living  intellect  that  breeds  it';  and  Dr.  Dabney  is  just  the  last  of  mem 
to  fail  to  put  the  stamp  of  his  own  individuality  upon  his  writings.  All 
who  are  familiar  with  his  mental  attributes  will  find  them  breaking 
forth  from  every  line  and  every  page.  In  this  age  of  mechanical 
authorship,  where  the  water  is  simply  emptied  out  of  one  bucket  into 
another,  it  is  no  slight  pleasure  to  get  hold  of  a  book  that  comes  to  us 
with  thoughts  directly  from  the  mint  in  which  they  were  coined.  All 
of  this  author's  characteristics  are  here.  That  wonderful  subtlety  of 
mind  which  penetrates  the  core  of  a  subject,  and  distinguishes  between 
the  nicest  refinements  of  thought,  that  incisiveness  of  expression  which 
cuts  the  thoughts  clean,  even  to  its  furthest  edge ;  that  firmness  of 
grasp  and  positiveness  of  tone  which  belong  only  to  those  of  the 
strongest  convictions ;  that  honesty  of  mind  that  leads  to  the  embrace 
of  what  is  held  to  be  the  truth,  and  a  corresponding  fearlessness  in  its 
defence,  and  that  glow  of  indignation  against  the  wickedness  and  impu- 
dence of  error — all  these  make  the  book  the  impression  of  the  man  wha 
wrote  it.  We  think  it  was  Adam  Smith  of  whom  the  incident  is  told,, 
that  when  a  certain  indifferentist,  who  always  extenuated  error,  left  the- 
room,  he  exclaimed,  'I  breathe  more  freely  now  that  he  is  gone;  he  has 
no  indignation  in  him.'  Dr.  Dabney  is  not  constituted  to  be  one  of 
those  neutrals.  What  he  believes,  he  believes  thoroughly,  and  his 
blows  against  falsehood  go  out  straight  from  the  shoulder."  ^ 

During  these  years  several  movements  went  on  within  his 
church  with  which  Dr.  Dabney  had  no  sort  of  sympathy.  He 
opposed  them  vehemently,  on  principle  and  from  conviction. 
The  nature  of  his  opposition  has  been  widely  misunderstood, 
and  he  has  been  excoriated  for  it  by  many  who  were  really 
incompetent  to  pass  judgment  on  him.  He  saw  very  clearly 
what  was  involved  in  some  of  these  steps.  His  critics  would 
in  many  cases  have  entertained  his  view  of  the  movements  had 
they  only  been  able  to  look  at  them  with  his  power  of  insight. 
In  receiving  the  harsh  criticism  at  the  hands  of  some  of  his 
friends,  he  only  paid  the  penalty  that  the  really  great  man  must 
always  pay  when  he  happens  to  be  in  a  minority,  which  is  often 
the  case.  One  of  the  movements  of  the  time,  which  he  with- 
stood, was  that  toward  fusion  with  the  Northern  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  opposed  everything  that  prepared  the  way  for 
fusion,  everything  that  opened  the  way.  He  struggled  against 
the  establishment  of  so-called  "fraternal  relations  "  or  corre- 
spondence by  delegates.    He  wrote  private  letters  against  these 

^  Southern  Presbyterian  Review,  Vol.  XXVII.,  p.  491. 


372         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

relations.  He  wrote  unanswerable  articles  in  the  newspapers 
and  reviews.  He  did  not  oppose  fraternal  relations,  properly 
so  called.    Hear  him : 

"What  are  'fraternal  relations'?  The  relations  existing  between 
Christian  brethren  not  in  the  same  denomination — as  between  us  and  the 
Lutherans,  us  and  Southern  Methodists,  etc.  These  we  have  never 
withdrawn  from  the  Northern  Presbyterians,  They  consist  in  minis- 
terial and  Christian  communion,  Christian  charities  and  hospitalities, 
recognition  of  their  sacraments,  and,  in  general,  of  their  standing  as  a 
valid  branch  of  the  church  catholic.  Hence  the  reply  we  should  have 
made  to  the  demand,  'Restore  fraternal  relations,'  ought  constantly  to 
have  been,  'You  have  them  already,  unless  you  please  to  rupture  them 
on  your  side!'  And  in  restoring  fraternal  relations,  in  full  form,  to 
the  Northern  Presbyterians,  without  any  amends  or  reparation,  the 
moment  they  stopped  cursing  us,  our  Southern  Assemblies  showed  a 
Christian  forbearance  and  Christ-like  spirit  never  surpassed  on  this 
earth;  a  spirit  which  I,  for  one,  shall  never  hear  disparaged  without 
protest;  a  charity  which,  in  any  fair  mind,  would  forever  acquit  them 
of  the  charge  of  spite  in  maintaining  their  righteous  attitude  on  a 
wholly  dififerent  point." 

Correspondence  by  delegates,  however,  was  a  very  different 
matter.    Of  this  he  says : 

"The  other  point,  wrapped  up  under  the  foreign  name  of  'fraternal 
relations,'  is  the  demand  that  we  shall  enter  into  a  special  intercourse 
with  the  North,  by  annual  delegates.  This  is  wholly  another  matter. 
It  has  a  perfectly  distinct  historical  meaning.  The  Old  School  Assem- 
blies before  the  war  maintained  fraternal  relations  with  every  valid, 
however  imperfect,  branch  of  the  visible  church.  It  kept  up  the  par- 
ticular intercourse  by  annual  delegates  with  very  few — only  the  most 
orthodox  Calvinistic  Congregationalists,  the  Dutch  Reformed  and  the 
secession  churches.  And  the  recognized  meaning  of  the  intercourse  was 
this :  It  testified  to  a  special  harmony  of  doctrine  and  ecclesiastical 
principles  between  that  church  and  ours.  It  ivas  a  badge  of  virtual  tinity 
of  principle.  Thus,  for  instance,  when  the  New  School  Assembly 
seceded  in  1838,  our  Old  School  Assembly,  while  recognizing  her  valid 
church  character,  and  all  the  duties  of  fraternal  charity  toward  her  and 
her  people,  absolutely  refused  to  keep  up  this  special  intercourse  by  dele- 
gates with  her.  To  do  so  would  have  traversed  our  righteous  and 
obligatory  testimony  against  the  partial  errors  of  New  Schoolism.  It 
would  have  been  a  criminal  self-contradiction,  or  else  betrayal  of  the 
position  of  truth  in  debate  between  us  and  them.  So  now.  This  special 
intercourse  by  delegates,  if  not  deceitful  and  dishonest,  should  mean, 
virtual  unity^of  principles." 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     373 

Since  correspondence  by  delegates  implied  virtual  unity  of 
principles,  he  fought  against  this  form  of  correspondence  with 
the  Northern  Presbyterian  Church  because,  iirst,  this  unity  of 
principles  was  wanting.    He  says: 

"But  the  Northern  Church  chose  to  destroy  that  unity,  both  in  doc- 
trine and  church  order.  By  the  Spring  resolutions  of  1861,  she  saw  fit 
to  introduce  into  her  church  government  a  principle  of  spiritual  despot- 
ism essentially  popish — the  invasion  of  the  right  of  members  to  follow 
their  own  consciences  in  questions  wholly  extra-scriptural  and  merely 
political.  Thus  defined  by  Dr.  Hodge  himself.  This  was  dreadfully 
aggravated  by  the  circumstances,  which  showed  it  an  attempt  to  pervert 
the  sacred  powers  of  Christ's  church  for  dragooning  free  citizens  into 
the  support  of  what  history  will  stigmatize  as  an  aggressive,  revolu- 
tionary partisan  faction,  with  the  most  lawless  and  mischievous  aims. 
This  popish  element  of  church  order  was  signalized,  moreover,  by  such 
mournful  events  as  the  persecution  of  the  sainted  McPheters,  the  virtual 
sanction  of  the  invasion  of  their  own  St.  Louis  Presbytery  by  a  provost 
marshal ;  the  ipso  facto  orders,  this  invasion  of  the  rights  of  the  Synod 
of  Kentucky;  and  this  fundamental  departure  from  Presbyterianism  is 
jealousy  retained  and  asserted  by  them  to-day,  as  we  shall  see. 

"Next  came  the  corrupting  of  their  doctrinal  record,  by  their  fusion 
with  the  New  School.  The  amount  of  this  mixture  was  that  the  West- 
minster Standards,  while  held  as  symbols  of  the  amalgamated  body, 
might  be  so  explained  in  it  as  they  had  been  actually  explained  in  either 
body.  The  meaning  of  this  is  that  any  New  Schoolism,  which  was 
countenanced  or  permitted  in  the  New  School  body,  should  be  entitled 
to  tolerance  in  the  mixed  body.  So  Dr.  Hatfield  construed  it  at  once, 
and  the  Fusion  Assembly  at  once  endorsed  him  by  making  him  one  of  its 
most  important  officers.  This  has  made  the  United  Church  responsible 
for  all  the  doctrinal  errors  for  which  our  wise  fathers  of  1838  separated 
themselves  from  the  other  branch,  and  for  which  they  inexorably  refused 
the  special  recognition  of  correspondence  by  delegates  for  thirty  years. 
So  that  I  now  stand  precisely  where  the  Old  School  fathers — Miller, 
Alexander,  Baxter,  Hodge,  Breckinridge,  Plumer,  Thornwell — stood  on 
this  matter.  It  was  of  this  surrender  of  doctrinal  purity  that  Dr.  Hodge 
said,  'If  the  truth  be  lost,  all  is  lost.'  'But,'  you  will  say,  'Dr.  Hodge 
stayed  with  them.'  Yes,  inconsistently  he  did;  he  felt  that  he  had 
nowhere  else  to  go ;  but  we  are  in  possession  of  a  precious  and  blessed 
independence,  given  by  the  special  favor  of  Providence.  We  have  some- 
where else  to  stay  than  in  this  'broad  church.'  Does  any  one  dream 
that  Dr.  Hodge  would  have  left  such  a  position  as  ours  to  go  into  a 
mixed  body  of  which  he  intimated  that,  in  losing  pure  truth,  she  had 
lost  all?  'But.'  it  is  said,  'this  mixed  church  has  become  marvellously 
Old  School  and  orthodox.  See  how  it  disciplined  Professor  Swing  and 
Mr.  John  Miller,  and  Mr.  F.  Moore,'  etc.,  etc.    True,  because  these  bold, 


374         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

candid  men  compelled  the  result,  by  attacking  propositions  held  as 
fundamental  to  their  theology  by  New  School  men  as  by  Old  School 
men.  That  means  nothing.  Is  there  a  Presbytery  in  that  mixed  church 
which  will  dare  to  do  what  a  Presbytery  in  the  Southern  Church  (Co- 
lumbia Presbytery)  has  just  done — mark  the  New  School  theory  of 
effectual  calling  with  judicial  censure?  They  would  as  soon  blow  up 
the  Assembly  hall  with  dynamite !  When  I  see  pronounced  New  School 
men  professors  in  their  seminaries,  when  I  see  a  known  Socinian  lec- 
turing on  doctrine  by  invitation  of  another,  when  I  hear  the  prevalence 
of  merely  negative  preaching  in  their  churches,  I  cannot  stultify  myself 
by  according  them  orthodoxy.  No,  their  body  exists  by  the  toleration 
of  doctrinal  errors,  which  our  fathers  could  not  tolerate.  Hence  it 
cannot  be  righteous  for  us,  under  a  pretext  of  fraternity,  to  make  that 
special  recognition  of  them  which,  if  it  means  anything  historically, 
means  we  avouch  unity  of  doctrinal  and  ecclesiastical  principles." 

Thus,  for  this  twofold  reason,  he  fought  correspondence  by 
delegates,  viz. :  the  Northern  Church  had  departed  from  spir- 
itual liberty  "by  the  popish  usurpation  of  the  Spring  resolutions 
and  their  sequels,"  and  she  had  connived  "at  New  Schoolism." 
There  was  wanting  the  doctrinal  and  ecclesiastical  similarity 
between  the  two  churches  historically  indicated  by  such  cor- 
respondence.   Nor  was  this  all. 

He  fought  correspondence  by  delegates  again  because  of  the 
"fearful  indictment  of  rebellion  and  treason  unjustly  hurled" 
by  the  Northern  Church  against  the  Southern.  Their  Assem- 
blies have  formally  legislated  against  the  Southern  Church, 
heresy,  schism  and  blasphemy,  and  against  its  most  honored 
members,  rebellion  and  treason.  He  looked  for  genuine  repent- 
ance for  these  "malicious  charges,"  and  found  it  not.  But  he 
had  too  much  principle  to  dare  to  overlook  their  obligation 
to  set  themselves  right,  and  the  obligation  of  the  Southern 
Church  to  witness  against  these  misdoings  until  they  should 
be  honestly  repented  of.    Hear  him  again : 

"Were  there  any  secret  sorrow  for  the  libels,  or  rectification  of  the 
unpresbyterian  theory  of  church  power,  no  one  would  be  further  from 
stickling  for  a  mere  form  of  amende ;  but,  while  there  may  be,  as  we 
hope,  a  great  softening  of  anger,  there  is  no  change  of  theory  and  tyran- 
nical principles;  and  this  is  the  saddest  part  of  the  history — the  one 
most  solemnly  necessitating  our  continued  testimony  against  their  error 
of  principle,  that  now,  seventeen  years  after  the  end  of  the  war,  now 
amidst  the  calmness  of  assuaged  passion,  this  powerful  church  stands 
to  its  obno.xious  principles  more  unanimously  than  in  May,  1861,  when 
these  principles  compelled  our  separation.     This  I  prove,  first,  by  their 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     375 

cautious,  tenacious  refusal  of  any  disavowal  when  pointed  to  it ;  second, 
by  their  embodying  in  their  own  Church  Digest,  as  a  rule,  the  popish 
and  tyrannical  decision  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  the 
famous  Walnut  Street  Church  case.  The  amount  of  this  decision  was 
that  all  lay  Christians  shall,  like  lay  papists  in  popish  countries,  hold 
their  rights  in  ecclesiastical  property  at  the  mere  will  of  a  usurping 
ecclesiastical  head  authority,  without  any  appeal  to  the  courts  of  justice 
in  this  country.  This  ruling,  so  essentially  popish  that  the  very  civil 
courts  of  the  country  have  refused  to  conform  to  it,  the  Northern  As- 
sembly greedily  embodied,  and  it  stands  to-day  as  their  church  law. 
Third,  their  recent  Assembly  of  Springfield  unanimously  declared  that 
the  usurping  principles  of  the  Spring  resolutions,  and  their  successors, 
must  stand.  The  usurping  Assembly  of  1861,  whose  action  necessitated 
our  protest,  lacked  sixty-six  of  being  unanimous.  Here,  now,  are  the 
plain,  stubborn  facts.  Let  no  man  attempt  to  pooh-pooh  them  away.  It  is 
little  short  of  moral  obliquity  to  do  this.  Do  we  ourselves  adopt  the 
tyrannies,  the  virtual  union  of  church  and  state  enacted  in  the  Spring 
resolutions?  Do  we  now  approve  them?  Or  have  we  become  simply 
fatigued  with  the  duty  of  defending  God's  truth  and  the  church's  rights? 
There  is  no  other  explanation.  Let  no  man  say,  'Oh !  this  is  raking  up 
an  antiquated  dead  issue.  The  Springfield  Assembly  unanimously 
assures  us  of  their  purpose  to  keep  it  alive !  Let  no  one  say,  'Oh !  but 
the  Confederacy  is  dead,  and  this  doctrine,  though  tyrannical,  can  never 
again  have  a  practical  application.'  I  reply,  first,  who  knows  whether 
it  cannot,  except  the  Omniscient?  All  church  history  teaches  us  that  it 
is  not  for  man  to  say,  'This  truth  of  God,  henceforth  has  no  more  prac- 
tical use.'  It  is  profane ;  the  church's  only  duty  is  to  testify,  and  keep 
on  testifying  for  all  the  truth  God  has  given  her. 

"But  again,  there  is  no  truth  more  likely  to  have  a  burning  applica- 
tion again — not  probably  in  the  South,  but  in  some  other  part  of  the 
United  States — than  the  truth  overthrown  by  the  Spring  resolutions. 
He  is  a  shallow  man  indeed  who  deludes  himself  with  the  thought  that 
political  revolutions  are  completed  and  settled  here,  when  everything 
shows  that  we  have  but  passed  the  first  act  of  the  tragedy;  that  in 
seventeen  years,  two  presidents  have  been  violently  murdered  in  time  of 
peace,  one  forcible  coup  d'etat  has  been  carried  through,  setting  aside 
the  elective  will  of  the  nation;  chronic  corruptions  of  suffrage  and 
administration  exist  all  the  time,  absolutely  inconsistent  with  settled, 
constitutional  government."     .     .    . 


Dr.  Dabney  points  out  that  five  separate  charges  had  been 
made  by  the  Northern  against  the  Southern  Church, — "dis- 
loyalty, treason,  schism,  heresy,  blasphemy," — and  that  the 
quasi  amende  made  by  the  Northern  Assembly,  at  Springfield, 
in  1881,  extended  to  the  last  three,  but  did  not  extend  to  the 


376         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

first  two,"  and  that  the  grievance  of  the  libel  remained,  there- 
fore, substantially  unmitigated. 

"It  will  be  said,  the  charge  of  blasphemy,  for  instance,  is  and  remains 
squarely  retracted.  Yes,  but  that  was  a  part  of  their  ruling  which  never 
did  mean  anything — which  nobody  believed  to  be  true  when  uttered, 
which  always  was  harmless  to  our  reputation.  Everybody  knew  that  it 
was  the  mere  foam  on  the  angry  lip.  It  was  the  charges  of  rebellion 
and  treason,  which  had  meaning  and  practicality  in  them,  which  really 
had  (false)  power  to  shade  our  good  name;  which  endangered  our 
necks  and  our  estates  and  our  franchises;  which  those  Assemblies  ex- 
plained, without  modifying,  by  the  amiable  recommendation  to  the 
Federal  Government  to  hang  us;  and  it  is  these  charges  which  we  are 
now  informed,  in  the  good  year  1882,  are  not  withdrawn.  Let  us  state 
a  little  parallel.  My  Christian  neighbor  gets  angry  with  me  and  pub- 
lishes two  charges  on  me :  one,  that  I,  being  an  officer  of  that  institu- 
tion, had  embezzled  a  trust  belonging  to  Union  Seminary;  the  other, 
that  I  had,  witch-like,  ridden  to  Presbytery  on  a  broomstick  above  the 
moon.  I  have  been  for  years  dealing  with  him  precisely  as  our  Saviour 
directs  in  Matthew  xviii.,  but  he  has  always  refused  any  amende.  At 
last  he  sends  word  that  he  is  ready  to  join  me  in  a  general,  square 
retraxit  and  reconciliation.  After  I  have  honestly  shaken  hands  on  this, 
he  says,  by  way  of  explanation  without  modification.  'Now,  mind,  my 
retraxit  is  to  be  understood  as  extending  only  to  that  tale  about  the 
broomstick.'  Well,  this  practically  ruins  it  all,  for  the  charge  left 
against  me  was  the  damaging,  and  the  only  damaging  one.  Unfortu- 
nately, it  has  not  been  found  impossible  for  a  parson  to  embezzle  trust 
funds,  and  the  charge  that  I  had  done  so  is  not  intrinsically  incredible, 
apart  from  my  known  reputation ;  but  the  charge  of  riding  on  a  broom- 
stick nobody  had  ever  credited ;  it  had  always  gone  for  nothing,  and 
been  understood  as  meaning  nothing  more  than  that  my  neighbor  was 
'blind-mad'  when  he  said  it.  In  just  such  a  state  their  Springfield  action 
leaves  us ;  the  charges  of  heresy  and  blasphemy  never  were,  nor  could 
be,  credited.  The  men  who  made  the  charges  were  all  along  concurring 
with  the  rest  of  the  Presbyterian  world  to  which  they  made  them  in 
saying  that  'Southern  Presbyterians  are  well  known  to  be  the  most 
conservative  doctrinally,  and  most  exemplary  and  strict,  of  the  Presby- 
terian family  of  churches.'  But  it  was  their  representation  of  us  as 
rebellious,  insubordinate  factions,  which  had  power  of  damaging  our 
good  name.  It  is  these  which  are  not  expressly  withdrawn.  .  . 
The  saddest  part  of  the  story  is,  the  obvious  motive  which  caused  the 
Springfield  Assembly  to  attach  the  fatal  pendant  to  their  amende.'  It 
was  very  clear  that  the  motive'  was  secular  and  political ;  the  fear  to 
offend  the  political  sentiments  of  their  constituents  at  home  by  even 
seeming  to  surrender  or  modify  the  tyrannical  and  popish  principle  of 

^  "The  fatal  pendant"  was  the  "Herrick  Johnson  rider." 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     377 

the  Spring  resolutions;  and  now  the  New  York  Observer  tells  the  plain 
truth,  though  by  the  use  of  those  euphemisms  which  the  Observer  so 
well  understands.  In  plain  English,  that  Assembly  passed  the  'Herrick 
Johnson  resolution'  because  it  believed  that  the  home  people  of  their 
church  still  hold  that  deadly  usurpation  so  passionately  as  to  be  indig- 
nant with  even  a  seeming  relaxation  of  it,  even  to  gain  the  coveted 
reconciliation;  and  that  Assembly  passed  it  unanimously!  This  tells 
the  sad  story  that  politics  still  rule  in  that  church;  that  really  the  prin- 
ciple is  not  healed  at  all ;  that  the  very  central  error  which  disrupted  the 
church  at  first  is  still  unanimously  held  in  that  Assembly ;  that  the 
same  reason  exists  for  our  maintaining  our  conscientious  testimony, 
and  our  ecclesiastical  independence.  Well,  it  is  sorrowful,  but  it  is  not 
our  fault.  The  last  way  in  the  world  to  remedy  this  state  of  things  is 
for  us  to  waver  in  our  right  position,  and  thus  sophisticate  and  mix 
truth  with  error." 

Another  of  his  reasons  for  opposing  correspondence  by  dele- 
gates was  "the  tendency  of  this  special  intercourse  to  undermine 
the  very  existence  of  our  church,  and  prepare  the  way  for  fusion 
with  the  Northern  Presbyterians."  He  does  not  charge  upon 
those  who  have  advocated  the  intercourse  that  they  had  intended 
to  lead  to  fusion,  but  says : 

"Its  logical  result  is  fusion ;  so  all  the  Northern  papers  have  ex- 
pounded it.  I  have  shown  that  the  historical  usage  and  meaning  of 
correspondence  of  delegates  is  a  recognition  of  virtual  unity  of  doctrinal 
and  ecclesiastical  principles.  If  this  unity  does  not  exist,  the  intercourse 
is  dishonest.  If  it  does,  why  not  fuse?  That  is  their  argument.  Grant 
the  premise,  and  the  inference  will  tell,  even  on  reluctant  minds.  It  is 
the  premise  which  is  erroneous  and  perilous,  and  should  not  have  been 
granted." 

He  begged  his  readers  to  pause  and  remember  what  fusion 
meant.    He  declared : 

"It  means,  then,  in  the  first  place,  the  division  of  our  once  happy  and 
harmonious  church ;  for  let  every  man  rest  assured  that  there  will  be  a 
large  body  of  our  eldership  and  membership,  clear-eyed,  self-respecting, 
loyal  to  Old  School  Presbyterianism,  immovable,  who  are  never  going 
to  be  traded  off  to  the  corrupters  of  American  Presbyterianism  and 
slanderers  of  their  father's  virtues.  (And  this  suggests  the  crowning 
argument  against  the  Atlanta  movement ;  that  under  pretense  of  ending 
contention  with  the  errorists — whom  it  is  our  duty  to  contend  with — it 
makes  strife  with  our  own  brethren,  with  whom  we  should  be  at  one, 
as  we  profess.) 

"It  means  the  unobstructed  triumph,  among  American  Presbyterians, 
of  the  virtually  popish  and  tyrannical  principle  of  the  Spring  resolutions, 


378         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

and  consequent  usurpations,  with  the  mischievous  and  inflaming  applica- 
tions it  is  likely  to  receive  in  future  political  collisions. 

"It  means  that  we  surrender  our  tenure  in  all  our  church  property  to 
that  new  popish  rule,  devised  by  a  radical  Supreme  Court,  and  greedily 
embodied  in  the  Digest  of  the  church. 

"It  means  that  we  acquiesce  in  becoming  doctrinally  a  'broad  church,' 
to  the  extent  of  tolerating,  in  the  same  communion,  both  the  extremes 
of  strict  Calvinism  and  New  Havenism,  to  such  an  extent  as  the  two 
branches  of  the  Northern  Church  tolerated  either,  between  1838  and 
1869. 

"It  means  that  we  surrender  our  New  Book  of  Church  Order,  with 
all  its  improvements.     .     .     . 

"It  means  that  we  admit  a  'rotary  eldership,'  thus  surrendering  our 
scriptural  doctrine  of  the  qualification  and  call  of  the  ruling  elder  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  his  true  ordination  by  his  Presbytery,  and  placing 
ourselves  at  this  half-way  house  of  Congregationalism. 

"It  means  the  immediate  collapse  of  our  Seminaries  and  evangelistic 
agencies  under  the  alien  management  of  a  great  omnibus  church.    .     .    . 

"It  means,  of  course,  that  we  must  imitate  the  church  which  absorbs 
UG  in  the  ecclesiastical  amalgamation  with  negroes,  accepting  negro 
presbyters  to  rule  white  churches  and  judge  white  ladies — a  step  which 
would  seal  the  moral  and  doctrinal  corruption  of  our  church  in  the 
South,  and  be  a  direct  step  towards  that  final  perdition  of  Southern 
society,  domestic  amalgamation ;  and  the  time  would  come  in  the 
South — yea,  in  the  North  also,  as  it  found  itself  encumbered  with  this 
gangrened  limb — a  mulatto  South,  when  all  who  had  lent  a  hand,  under 
the  prompting  of  puling  sentimentalism,  to  this  result,  would  incur  the 
reprobation  of  all  the  wise  and  good  in  terms  as  just,  and  as  bitter,  as 
those  visited  on  Benedict  Arnold.     .     .     . 

"Once  more,  fusion  with  the  North  would  mean  our  betrayal  of  our 
righteous  testimony  against  the  rationalistic  and  skeptical  features  of 
modern  Abolitionism — a  testimony  which  is  now  faithfully  sustained  by 
our  church  alone  in  Protestant  Christendom.  This  Abolitionism  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  expressly  condemned  in  i  Timothy  vi.  1-5.  characteriz- 
ing it  in  the  sternest  language,  as  arrogant,  perverse,  mercenary,  slan- 
derous and  false,  and  he  has  expressly  legislated,  'From  such,  withdraw 
thyself.'  Many,  if  not  the  majority,  in  that  Assembly  defiantly  profess 
that  Abolitionism ;  and  the  only  legislation  the  Assembly  itself  has  taken 
about  them  was  to  denounce  us  for  protesting  against  it  as  Paul 
required  us,  as  'heretics  and  blasphemers.'  So  that  such  fusion  would 
be  a  flying  in  the  face  of  God's  express  command."  ^ 

'  The  preceding  quotations  have  been  from  an  article  entitled,  "The 
Atlanta  Assembly  and  Fraternal  Relations."  It  appeared  in  the  South- 
zvestern  Presbyterian,  August  3,  1882.  It  is  found  in  Discussions,  Vol. 
II.,  pp.  503-524- 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     379 

These  and  other  arguments,  of  scarcely  less  weight,  he  made 
through  years.  They  appear  in  his  private  letters,  and  in  news- 
paper and  review  articles,  varied  in  form  according  to  the 
varying  stages  in  the  development  of  the  thing  he  opposed.  He 
had  objected  even  to  the  action  of  the  Louisville  Assembly  of 
1870.  This  action,  conservative  as  it  was,  was  not  so  radical 
as  he  would  have  preferred.  He  would  have  had  that  Assembly 
say  to  the  Northern,  through  its  delegates,  Messrs.  Van  Dyke, 
Backus  and  Dodge:  We  wish  to  say  we  have  neither  prosecu- 
tion nor  persecution  to  wage  against  your  church  for  its  past 
actions.  That  while  we  cannot  but  believe  the  amendment  of 
whatever  has  been  erroneous  will  do  yourselves  much  honor — 

"we  recognize  in  full  the  duties  of  Christian  forgiveness  and  charity, 
and  the  wrongfulness  of  any  retaliatory  measures  on  our  part.  Hence, 
we  have  no  demands  to  make  in  order  to  the  exercise  of  due  Christian 
charity  towards  others.  That  the  attitude  we  now  hold,  and  purpose 
to  hold,  is  best  illustrated  by  the  facts  of  our  past,  which  facts  are 
historically  and  literally  these,  viz.:  that  we  have  all  along  been  con- 
ceding, and  now  concede,  to  your  churches  everything  ivhich  goes  to 
make  up  real  fraternal  relations  hetzveen  the  distinct  branches  of  the 
catholic  body  of  Christ,  without  stopping  to  ask  whether  the  rights 
and  courtesies  have  been  equitably  conceded  to  us,  namely:  full  recog- 
nition of  your  church  character  as  a  part  of  the  visible  church ;  of  your 
orders  and  sacraments;  of  your  church  rights,  properties  and  endow- 
ments in  every  congregation  or  school  voluntarily  adhering;  the  offer 
of  ministerial  and  Christian  communion  to  your  individual  ministers 
and  members  among  us,  according  to  the  merits  of  each  personal  case, 
and  last,  the  offices  of  hospitality  and  mercy  to  all  persons  of  yours 
who  are  in  need  or  distress  in  our  reach.  So  that  we  now  and  here  do 
for  you  more,  and  more  liberally,  than  you  ask  through  your  respected 
committee.  Whereas  you  ask  us  to  extend  these  fraternal  relations 
on  condition  of  certain  difficult  preliminaries,  we  say.  You  shall  have 
them  without  any  preliminary,  as,  in  fact,  you  have  them,  on  our  part, 
all  along.  That,  in  view  of  all  the  above,  and  of  the  fact  that  attempted 
explanations  often  result  in  inflaming  old  differences,  we.  acting  in  the 
interests  of  peace  as  sincerely  as  you,  deem  it  wholly  unnecessary  to  send 
commissioners  for  the  proposed  debates,  inasmuch  as  we  have  all  along 
granted  what  is  proposed,  so  far  as  is  consistent  with  our  distinct  inde- 
pendence as  a  denomination.  For  we  must  respectfully  say  that  this 
independent  attitude,  assumed  under  conscientious  conviction,  we  pro- 
pose to  maintain  from  the  same  sacred  motives.  .  .  .  But  we  say,  in 
fine,  that  as  your  overture  refers  to  the  discredit  done  religion  by  our 
'going  to  law  before  the  unbelievers,'  we  do  cheerfully  agree  to  appoint 
commissioners  for  the  express  and  single  purpose  of  taking  all  such 


380         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

controversies  from  those  about  a  house  or  manse,  up  to  those  for  a 
Seminary  endowment,  out  of  court;  by  referring  them  to  impartial  and 
Christian  arbiters,  binding  ourselves  irrevocably  to  stand  by  the  award, 
provided  the  other  side  does  the  same !" 

He  objected  still  more  decidedly  than  he  did  to  the  moderate 
but  conservative  action  of  the  Louisville  Assembly,  to  the  ap- 
pointment, by  the  Assembly  of  1874,  of  commissioners  to  the 
Baltimore  Conference. 

"Then,  at  least,  we  should  have  given  the  answer  which  we  have 
described,  and  should  have  refused  to  send  any  commissioners  save 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  all  property  suits  out  of  court.  The  worst 
blunder  of  all  was  the  pledge  given  by  our  Assembly  of  1875,  at  St. 
Louis,  that  we  should  enter  into  the  annual  exchange  of  complimentary 
delegates  with  the  omnibus  Assembly  as  soon  as  they  should  do  one 
thing — retract  their  libels  on  us  as  schismatics,  heretics  and  blasphemers, 
in  'a  few  plain  words.'  .  .  .  This  is  a  grave  historical  mistake,  as 
appears  from  this  thought.  Historically,  the  meaning  of  this  'fraternal 
correspondence'  is  to  express  a  special  harmony  of  doctrine  and  order, 
and  a  special  confidence  and  approval,  singling  out  the  beloved  object 
even  from  among  the  rest  of  our  brethren  of  the  visible  body  of  Christ." 

This  position  he  irrefutably  argues.* 

On  this  whole  position  Dr.  Dabney  expressed  the  substantial 
truth ;  he  knew  it ;  and  nothing  could  keep  him  quiet  on  the 
subject.  He  knew  that  he  was  to  be  stigmatized  as  a  "wrangler," 
though  few  men  loved  peace  more.  He  knew  he  should  be 
met  with  the  cry  of  "Old  war-horse !"  He  knew  he  should 
be  held  in  ugly  contrast  to  civilians  and  business  men,  who 
see  no  reason  for  any  sort  of  separation  between  North  and 
South.  But  he  knew  that  those  making  this  ugly  contrast  had 
overlooked  the  fact  that  business  relations  imply  no  sanction 
of,  or  responsibility  for,  the  other  party's  moral  or  theological 
principles;  and  that  our  subjection  to  the  same  government 
with  our  business  associates  is  the  result  of  necessity,  and  does 
not  involve  the  trampling  of  principle,  on  our  part,  into  the 
dust.  Hence,  with  a  comprehension  of  the  whole  situation, 
and  a  just  estimate  of  the  baselessness  of  the  detraction  to  which 
he  was  subject,  he  made  his  fight — a  heroic  fight  for  God's 
truth.     Nor  can  it  be  doubted  that  he  did  much  towards  stop- 

*  See  article  on  "Fraternal  Relation,"  in  Discussions,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  479 
and  480. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     381 

ping  the  tendency  towards  union,  and  its  consequent  subordina- 
tion of  the  truth,  for  a  time. 

He  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  views  were 
shared  by  such  men  as  Thomas  E.  Peck,  Benjamin  M.  Palmer, 
and  many  other  of  the  very  greatest  and  godHest  men  in  the 
church.  It  must  have  been  pecuHarly  gratifying  to  read  some 
of  the  letters  he  received  in  this  connection  from  the  o-reat 
New  Orleans  preacher.  The  closing  words  of  a  letter  Irom 
him,  dated  October  21,  1876,  are  fitted  to  give  both  sorrow 
and  joy: 

"Another  feature  which  should  be  brought  out  is  that  the  reciprocity 
basis  is  one  impossible  for  us  to  hold,  and  that  it  concedes  the  whole 
of  our  testimony  against  the  political  action  of  the  Northern  Church. 
On  this  point,  and  on  one  or  two  others,  I  take  leave  to  send  you  a 
paper  containing  the  proceedings  of  my  own  Presbytery  at  its  recent 
meeting.  I  am  not  hopeful  of  the  future.  Our  people  lack  tenacity  in 
resistance,  and  give  way  so  easily  under  the  profession  of  sentiment. 
If  we  yield  now,  on  the  present  footing  of  aflfairs,  we  will  yield  again, 
and  we  may  be  reduced  to  your  illustration  of  Gideon's  men.  Will  you 
not  try  to  be  at  the  next  Assembly?  How  much  it  would  delight  me 
to  be  thrown  personally  with  you.  My  heart  has  been  with  you  ever 
since  the  Assembly  in  Louisville.    .    . 

"Ever  truly  yours,  B.  M.  Palmer." 

Another  movement  which  he  opposed  was  that  towards 
joining  the  Pan-Presbyterian  Alliance.  This  project  of  a  Pan- 
Alliance  of  the  Presbyterians  was  ripened  between  1874  and 
1877,  and  its  projectors  volunteered  an  invitation  to  the  South- 
ern Presbyterians  to  enter.  A  majority  in  our  Assemblies 
favored  accepting  the  invitation.  Dr.  Dabney  opposed  our 
entering  this  Alliance.  He  did  so  for  the  following  reasons, 
amongst  others :  First,  it  was  notorious  that,  had  slavery  beeii 
in  existence  in  our  church  at  the  time,  the  church  would  have 
been  excluded,  on  that  account,  from  the  Alliance.  But  slavery 
had  been  abolished  by  force;  the  Southern  Church  had  not 
changed  her  view  as  to  the  character  of  this  relation.  Material 
force  had  not  washed  that  body  free  of  "the  black  and  damning 
stain"  with  which  most  of  the  churches  in  the  Alliance  had 
charged  her.  Second,  he  saw  in  the  entering  of  the  Alliance 
a  step  toward  a  "dishonest  compromise"  with  the  Northern 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  thing  he  was  fighting  in  his  opposition 
to  so-called  "fraternal  relations."     He  believed  that,  having 


382         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

charged  that  that  church,  in  a  critical  moment,  had  "abandoned 
their  covenanted  constitution,  usurped  popish  powers  of  per- 
verting the  spiritual  authority  of  the  church  to  override  the 
secular  rights  and  liberties  of  its  members,  thus  assisted  to 
precipitate  upon  us  and  our  neighbors  the  horrors  of  invasion, 
rapine,  bloodshed  and  subjugation,"  and  that  having  charged 
upon  it  "a  foul  slander  of  our  good  name,  which  has  been 
industriously  published  to  the  very  churches  with  which  we 
are  asked  to  ally  ourselves, — in  joining  the  Alliance  we  "incon- 
tinently go  across  the  water  and  uieet  them  in  fraternal  cor- 
respondence/' Third,  he  saw  that  our  church  would  only  in 
rare  cases  be  truly  represented  in  the  meetings  of  the  Alliance ; 
that  there  could  be  no  adequate  representation,  on  account  of 
the  great  expense  involved  in  attending  the  meetings  ;  that  gen- 
erally only  those  ministers  would  go  who  were  willing  to  take 
the  trip  at  their  own  expense.  Fourth,  -he  believed  that  the 
church's  money  spent  in  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  Alliance 
meetings  would  be  indefinitely  better  expended  in  pushing  our 
various  church  causes.  Fifth,  he  knew  that  most  of  the 
churches  in  the  Alliance  were  broad  church  as  compared  with 
ours,  and  that  our  joining  the  Alliance  would  make  for  broad 
churchism  among  us.  Sixth,  he  saw  that  the  movement  tended 
to  magnify  outward  unity.  "The  Protestant  world  will  soon 
be  educated  to  set  inordinate  store  by  that  of  which  God  makes 
least  account — formal  union,  at  the  expense  of  that  which  he 
regards  as  of  supreme  value — doctrinal  fidelity.  He  who  does 
not  see  that  the  Evangelical  Alliance  has  already  begun  to 
produce  this  disastrous  result  must  be  blind  indeed.  It  is  ob- 
viously the  'tidal  wave'  of  modern  sentiment,  the  'seit  geist' 
of  our  day,  as  truly  as  it  was  of  the  days  of  Leo  the  Great ; 
and  it  is  as  vital  to  the  life  of  Christianity  now  as  it  was  then, 
that  it  be  exposed  and  resisted."  Seventh,  his  "crowning  ob- 
jection to  our  representation  in  this  Alliance  is  that  our  own 
constitution  forbids  it."  He  held  that,  according  to  that  con- 
stitution, our  Assembly  had  "precisely  as  much  right  to  appoint 
commissioners  to  such  a  body  as  to  appoint  a  Grand  Lama  for 
Thibet."  Is  it  said,  "The  Assembly  only  appointed  a  com- 
mittee, with  powers  to  appoint  delegates?"  "This  evasion 
serves  no  purpose ;  for  what  the  Assembly  did  by  its  com- 
mittee, it  did  per  se.  .  .  .  Now,  either  these  councils  are  to 
be  judicatories,  exercising  church  power  over  the  Assembly, 
or  they  are  not.     If  they  are,  then  representation  in  them  is 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     383 

substantially  a  new  feature,  outside  of  our  constitution.  That 
instrument  calls  our  Assembly  our  supreme  court.  In  it  all 
appeals  and  references  stop ;  from  it  emanate  the  highest 
instructions,  under  Christ.  .  .  .  But  gentlemen  will  take 
the  other  horn  of  the  dilemma ;  they  say  the  councils  of  this 
Alliance  are  not  to  be  church  courts.  Very  well ;  then  they 
are  private  and  voluntary  meetings  of  Christians.  From  this 
point  of  view,  the  Assembly  has  neither  power  nor  business 
touching  an  appointment  to  them." 

Here,  again,  Dr.  Dabney's  heroism  of  nature  forbade  that 
he  should  be  deterred  by  epithets  flung  at  him  by  those  who 
favored  the  Alliance,  such  as  "sore-head,"  etc.  He  felt  not  a 
little  the  personal  criticisms  which  his  brethren  pronounced 
against  him ;  and  to  one  of  the  more  prominent  of  them  he 
wrote,  with  not  a  little  impatience,  on  the  27th  of  July,  1876. 

"But  I  do  not  mean  to  stand  this  charge  of  being  a  person  unsafe  in 
opinion  by  reason  of  petulant  and  blind  passions.  Self-respect  says  it  is 
high  time  for  me  to  disclaim  the  slander.  And  to  defend  myself  from 
it,  I  simply  point  to  my  history.  While  my  brethren  have  been  thus 
slandering  me,  a  political  paper  in  the  West  was  just  enough  to  use 
these  words :  'Dr.  Dabney's  mind  is  logical,  and  his  turn  that  of  a 
debater.  But  in  the  angry  sense  of  the  word,  he  has  never  been  a 
polemic.  While  an  open  and  bold  asserter  of  his  own  views,  his  pro- 
found sense  of  justice  and  native  courtesy  have  always  prevented  his 
giving  a  wound  to  his  opponent's  feelings;  and  his  relations  with  all 
other  denominations  are  of  the  kindest  and  most  generous  tone.'  I  have 
been  a  professional  man  thirty  years,  and  have  never  had  a  personal 
altercation!  I  have  been  a  teacher  cf  men  twenty-three  years,  and  while 
permitting  no  disrespect  from  my  pupils,  /  have  never  had  a  'tiff'  with 
a  student!  I  have  been  in  delicate  relations  with  a  faculty  twenty-three 
years  by  no  means  homogeneous  in  sentiment,  and  have  never  had  a 
jar  ivith  a  colleague!  How  many  can  say  this?  Now,  how  does  it 
become  a  man  to  charge  me  with  being  blinded  by  bad  passions,  whose 

life,  like [his  chief  antagonist  in  the  controversy],  has  been  one 

continued  quarrel?  I  intend  to  stand  no  more  of  this  nonsense.  True, 
I  do  not  pretend  to  be  devoid  of  the  ethical  and  rational  emotion  of 
moral  indignation.  I  try  to  feel  it,  under  the  guidance  of  truth,  as 
vividly  as  I  can.  I  believe,  with  Vinet,  that  love  of  the  lovable  is  truth; 
hatred  of  the  hateful  is  truth,  and,  if  need  be,  wrath  also." 

Misrepresentations  of  his  character  and  motives  pained  him ; 
but  they  did  not  shut  his  mouth  when  he  saw  the  cause  of  truth 
and  of  God  in  peril.  He  was  unshakable  in  fidelity  to  his 
convictions,  and  absolutely  outspoken. 


384         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney, 

In  the  General  Assembly  of  1878,  he  offered  an  elaborate 
and  able  paper,  in  which  he  would  have  had  the  body  frankly 
and  fully  state  its  own  past  and  present  attitude  on  the  subject 
of  the  relation  of  slavery,  and  the  past  attitude  of  the  other 
bodies  in  the  Alliance,  and  also  on  the  subject  of  the  spirituality 
of  the  church,  and  then  inquire  whether  ministers  and  elders 
of  the  Southern  Church,  the  views  of  the  church  being  known, 
would  be  welcome  in  the  Alliance.  This  was  laid  on  the  table. 
But  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  go  up  to  the  Assembly  of 
1879  ^^  overture  from  Central  Texas  Presbytery,  asking  the 
Assembly  to  say  whether  the  action  of  the  last  Assembly,  in 
tabling  without  discussion  a  paper  offered  by  Dr.  Dabney  on 
the  subject  of  the  relations  of  our  church  to  "the  General  Pres- 
byterian Council,"  is  "to  be  vmderstood  as  actually  or  virtually 
surrendering  our  former  position,  or  yielding  up  any  or  all 
the  testimony  made  by  us  touching  the  matters  contained  in 
said  paper."  The  committee  recommended  the  adoption  of  the 
following  minute,  viz. : 

"The  action  of  our  Assembly  in  sending  delegates  to  the  'General 
Presbyterian  Council,'  and  in  tabling  the  paper  alluded  to  in  the  overture 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Central  Texas,  is  not  to  be  understood  as  implying 
any  change  in  our  position  upon  questions  of  difference  between  our- 
selves and  other  bodies,  or  any  surrender  of  our  testimony."  " 

When  Dr.  Dabney  saw  this,  he  wrote  on  his  copy  of  the 
tabled  paper,  "The  General  Assembly  of  1879  adopted  the  sub- 
stance of  this  when  they  sent  commissioners  to  the  Alliance." 
He  had  not  been  able  to  hold  the  church  to  the  course  which 
he  believed  to  be  the  proper  one  on  grounds  of  reason,  con- 
science and  the  Bible ;  but  his  faithful  and  able  efforts  had 
been  the  occasion  of  her  committing  h-erself  once  more  to  the 
testimony  which,  for  a  time,  God  had  made  it  easy  for  her  to 
give,  and  which  she  was  now  in  danger  of  ceasing  to  give,  as 
he  saw  things. 

The  Pan-Presbyterian  Alliance  was  established.  Some  good 
has  come  of  it.  Perhaps,  some  of  the  evils  which  Dr.  Dabney 
foresaw,  also.  More  of  them  may  come.  The  great  business 
of  the  church  is  to  witness  for  the  truth,  and  in  God's  way,  and 
thus  to  gather  in  and  build  up  the  elect.  To  attempt  aught 
besides,  or  to  attempt  this  in  another  way  than  his  way,  is  for 

'^Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly,  1879,  P-  IQ- 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary,     385 

the  church  to  come  short.  The  AUiance  is  prohibited,  in  its 
constitution,  from  meddhng  with  the  pecuUar  views  of  any  of 
its  constituent  churches.  It  is  very  "broad  church."  Our 
church  may,  in  its  own  individual  work,  stand  for  its  distinctive 
principles,  as  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  may  for  theirs,  and 
the  established  churches  for  union  of  church  and  state.  This 
very  fact  opens  wide  possibilities  of  both  good  and  evil,  the 
very  evils  Dr.  Dabney  so  ably  points  out.  It  was  a  blessing 
to  our  body  that  it  had  in  it  a  man  who  could  compel  close 
scrutiny  of  the  Alliance,  a  man  who  would  have  our  church 
be  so  frank,  candid  and  honest.  God  forbid  that  the  church 
should  forget  his  example. 

The  Bledsoe  controversy  was  another  feature  of  the  early 
part  of  this  period.  Albert  Taylor  Bledsoe  was  born  at  Frank- 
fort, Ky.,  November  9,  1809 ;  he  died  at  Alexandria,  Va., 
December  8,  1877.  He  graduated  at  the  West  Point  Military 
Academy,  1830;  became  lieutenant,  Seventh  Infantry;  in  1832 
resigned;  was  made  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics, 
Kenyon  College,  Ohio,  1834 ;  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  was  rector  at  Hamilton,  Ohio,  and  Professor 
of  Mathematics  in  Miami  University,  i835-'36;  left  the  min- 
istry, owing  to  theological  difficulties,  and  took  up  the  practice 
of  law  at  Springfield,  111. ;  became  Professor  of  Mathematics 
in  the  University  of  Mississippi,  1848,  and  in  the  University 
of  Virginia,  1854.  When  the  war  between  the  sections  broke 
out,  he  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  a  colonel,  but  was 
soon  made  Assistant  Secretary  of  War.  In  1863,  he  went  to 
England  to  prepare  a  work  on  the  Constitutional  History  of 
the  United  States.  He  returned  to  this  country  in  1866,  and 
in  1867  began,  at  Baltimore,  the  publication  of  the  Southern 
Review.  In  June,  1871,  he  became  a  Methodist,  and  preached 
occasionally  in  Methodist  pulpits.  In  1845  ^^^  ^^^^  published. 
An  Examination  of  Edwards  on  the  Will;  in  1853,  A  Theodicy, 
or  Vindication  of  the  Divine  Glory.  He  subsequently  published 
several  other  volumes,  as  well  as  wrote  himself  out  with  great 
fulness  in  his  Reviezv. 

This  sketch  is  enough  to  show  that  he  was  a  man  of  a  most 
active,  acute  and  vigorous  mind.  He  hated  predestination  and 
determinism.  He  had  wrought  this  hatred  into  his  Examina- 
tion  of  Edwards  and  into  his  Theodicy.  He  wrought  it  into 
the  pages  of  his  magazine.  It  was  a  natural  thing,  therefore, 
that  so  active-minded  and  so  easily  able  a  defender  of  Cal- 
25 


386         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

vinism  as  Robert  L.  Dabney  should  take  up  the  cudgels  in  sup- 
port of  the  doctrines  thus  impugned.  As  far  back  as  1856, 
Dr.  Dabney  seems  to  have  presented  a  somewhat  displeasing 
view  of  Bledsoism  to  Bledsoe  through  the  pages  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Critic,  Baltimore.  But  the  decisive  work  was  done 
later.  In  1876,  Dabney  published,  in  the  pages  of  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Review,  an  article  entitled,  "The  Philosophy  of 
Dr.  Bledsoe."  This  was  of  the  nature  of  a  review  of  a  half  a 
dozen  of  Dr.  Bledsoe's  writings,  published  between  1871  and 
1876,  in  some  of  which  Dr.  Dabney's  teaching  had  been  made 
the  object  of  attack.  Dabney's  article  of  1876  provoked  a 
rejoinder  from  Bledsoe  of  a  pretty  savage  sort;  whereupon 
Dabney  set  himself,  and  in  July,  1877,  in  a  paper  entitled,  "The 
Philosophy  of  Volition" — a  review,  practically,  of  Bledsoe's 
entire  publications  on  the  subject — sent  forth  a  masterpiece. 
Bledsoe  was  to  die  a  few  months  after  this  publication  appeared. 
But  he  could  hardly  have  made  a  sufficient  answer.  It  may 
be  safely  asserted  that  the  article  by  Dabney  on  "The  Philoso- 
phy of  Volition" — his  final  reply  to  Bledsoe — is  not  surpassed 
by  any  similar  essay  in  the  English  tongue  for  grasp  and 
mastery. 

While  Dr.  Bledsoe  was  too  shrewd  to  adopt  the  old  Arminian 
formula,  that  the  will  determines  itself  to  choose ;  or  the  mod- 
ern form  of  the  heresy,  that  volition  is  an  uncaused  event  in 
the  world  of  spirit ;  while  he  admits  the  first  principle,  "Nothing 
arises  without  cause,"  he  teaches:  "The  mind  itself  is  simply 
the  cause  of  its  own  volitions.  Motives  are,  indeed,  connected 
with  volitions  as  their  necessary  occasions,  but  not  as  their 
efficients.  The  action  of  intelligence  and  sensibility,  the  pres- 
ence of  motives  in  the  mind — all  these,  he  admits,  are  the  con- 
ditions sine  qua  non  under  which  acts  of  choice  take  place; 
but  still  it  is  the  mind  itself,  and  that  alone,  which  is  the  efficient 
or  true  cause  of  volition.  And  in  this  assertion  he  places  the 
very  being  of  our  free  agency  and  responsibility."  This  is 
Dabney's  statement  of  Dr.  Bledsoe's  position ;  and  it  is  an 
eminently  fair  statement  of  it.  Dabney  remarks  further  of  it, 
as  follows : 

"Now  this  is  more  adroit  than  the  old  scheme  demolished  by  Ed- 
wards, for  it  evades  the  most  terrible  points  of  Edwards'  refutation. 
As  Dr.  Alexander  has  admitted,  there  is  a  sense  in  which,  while  the 
will,  in  its  specific  sense  as  the  faculty  of  choice,  is  not  self-determined, 
we  intuitively  know  that  the  soul  is  self-determined,  and  that  therein  is 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     387 

our  free  agency;  but  still  the  scheme  of  Dr.  Bledsoe  is  the  opposite  of 
Dr.  Alexander's,  and  is  but  the  same  Arminian  philosophy  in  a  new 
dress.  When  Dr.  Bledsoe  says  that  the  mind  is  the  true  cause  of  all 
its  own  volitions,  he  means  that  this  mind  causes  them  contingently,  and 
may  be  absolutely  in  equilibrio  while  causing  them;  he  means  that  the 
mind  does  not  regularly  follow  its  own  strongest  judgment  of  the  prefer- 
able when  acting  deliberately  and  intelligently;  he  means  to  deny  the 
efficient  certainty  of  whatever  in  mind  produces  volition;  he  means  to 
apply  his  theory  of  the  will  to  the  very  results  in  theology  most  charac- 
teristic of  the  semi-Pelagianism,  or,  even  worse,  of  Pelagianism.  It  is 
to  this  philosophy  he  appeals  to  justify  an  omnipotent  God  in  permitting 
sin,  simply  because  he  could  not  help  any  sinner's  transgressing  who 
chose  to  do  so;  to  argue  the  necessity  of  synergism  in  regeneration; 
to  deny  the  sinfulness  of  original  concupiscence." 

In  his  paper  of  1876,  Dr.  Dabney  did  not  deem  it  necessary 
to  restate  the  impregnable  argument  by  which  the  certain  influ- 
ence of  prevalent  motive  has  been  so  often  established  ;  he  con- 
tented himself,  rather,  with  pointing  out  omissions  in  Dr.  Bled- 
soe's plausible  theory — e.  g.,  "that  of  failure  to  perceive  the 
essential  difference  between  sensibility  and  desire,  between  the 
passive  and  conative  powers  of  man's  soul,  and  between  the 
objective  induce  in  cut  and  the  subjective  motive/'  Admitting, 
rather  claiming,  that  objective  inducement  has  no  causative 
efficiency  over  volitions.  Dr.  Dabney  passed  to  subjective 
motive,  the  conscious,  active,  spontaneous  appetency;  and 
pointed  to  our  own  consciousness  to  convince  us  that  "deliberate 
volition  always  follows  subjective  motive;  or  that  the  choice 
will  infallibly  be  according  to  the  soul's  own  subjective,  preva- 
lent view  and  appetency."  A  stray  sheep  does  not  cause  one  man 
to  purloin,  nor  another  to  restore  it  to  its  owner's  field. 

"But  subjective  concupiscence,  occasioned  by  the  sight  of  the  animal, 
caused  the  one  man  to  steal  it;  moral  love  for  our  neighbor  as  ourself 
caused  the  honest  man  to  restore  it.  Let  Dr.  Bledsoe  make  full  allow- 
ance for  this  distinction,  and  he  will  attain  to  what  he  has  not  reached, 
amidst  all  his  studies— a  clear  understanding  of  the  Calvinistic  and 
Bible  philosophy  of  the  will;  and  here  we  can  see  in  what  sense  Dr. 
Alexander  could  justly  admit  that  while  the  faculty  of  will  is  not,  the 
soul  is  self-determining.  Motive,  which  is  the  uniform  efficient  of 
rational  volition,  is  subjective.  It  is  as  truly  a  function  of  self-hood  as 
volition  itself.  It  is  not  an  impression  superimposed  on  the  spirit  from 
without;  it  is  the  soul's  own  intellection  and  appetency  emitted  from 
within. 

"The  reader  is  now,  we  trust,  prepared  for  seeing  how  fatal  is  Dr. 


388         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Bledsoe's  second  omission  in  his  analysis  of  free  agency.  He  has  left 
out  the  grand  fact  of  permanent,  subjective  disposition — the  habitus 
not  consuetude — of  the  Reformed  theology.  When  we  appreciate  the 
flood  of  light  which  this  fundamental  fact  of  rational  nature  in  that 
theology  throws  upon  the  main  questions  of  free  agency  and  morals, 
^and  when  we  see  how  usually  great  philosophers,  as  Dr.  Bledsoe,  over- 
-look  it,  we  are  often  amazed.  He  may  rest  assured  it  is  the  'knot  of  the 
■whole  question.'  Let  this  simple  view  be  taken.  Grant  that  the  soul  of 
■man  is  self-determining.  Where  then  are  we  to  seek  the  regulative  law 
'of  its  self-action?  No  agent  in  all  God's  creation  works  lawlessly. 
■'Order  is  heaven's  first  law.'  Every  power  in  the  universe  has  its 
regulative  principle;  is  mind,  the  crowning  being  of  God's  handiwork, 
lawless  and  chaotic  in  its  working?  This  regulative  law  of  man's  free 
agency  is  found  in  his  disposition,  his  moral  nature.  Though  one  being 
detects  another's  disposition  a  posteriori,  by  deducing  it  from  his  ob- 
served volitions,  yet  in  each  spirit  disposition  is  a  priori  to  volition; 
for  it  is  the  original,  regulative  power  which  determines  what  subjective 
.motives  have  place  in  the  mind."  ° 

The  foregoing  is  sufificient  to  indicate  the  respective  con- 
'tentions  in  this  debate.  The  issue  of  the  debate  has  been  stated. 
A  word  remains  to  be  said  as  to  the  spirit  with  which  these 
giants  wrestled.  Dr.  Bledsoe  seemed  to  feel  that  Dr.  Dabney 
had  criticised  him  without  having  given  him  a  careful  reading ; 
that  he  had  not  cited  him  with  accuracy;  that  he  had  charged 
his  scheme  of  free  agency  as  Pelagian  in  tendency,  and  had 
taxed  it  in  other  objectionable  ways.  These  views  are  expressed 
in  the  Southern  Review  for  January,  1877.  He  attributes  to 
Dr.  Dabney  "imbecility"  and  "ignorance,"  etc.  In  his  earlier 
:articles,  Dr.  Dabney  may  have  been  somewhat  careless  in  quot- 
ing page  and  word,  and  in  drawing  absurd  corollaries  from 
'Certain  of  Bledsoe's  positions  he  may  have  given  to  the  careless 
reader  the  impression  that  these  propositions  were  from  Bled- 
soe's own  mouth ;  but  if  such  be  the  case,  he  cites  abundantly 
and  with  care  in  his  final  rejoinder,  with  the  result  of  justifying 
liis  charges  and  betraying  the  abounding  confusions  of  Bled- 
soe's teaching. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Dr.  Bledsoe  was  not  in  good  health, 
and  hence  was  in  no  condition  to  attempt  a  reply  to  Dr.  Dab- 
ney's  last;  but  Dr.  Dabney  cannot  be  blamed  with  taking  his 
great  antagonist  at  a  disadvantage.  Bledsoe  published  his 
excoriating  article  in  January,  1877.     I^i  the  July  issue  of  the 

°  Discussions,  Vol.  HI.,  pp  183-186. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     389 

Southern  Presbyterian  Reviezv,  Dabney  came  out  with  his 
Columbiad.  Busy  as  he  was  with  other  things,  that  was  quick 
work.  Bledsoe  died  in  December  following.  It  is  manifest, 
too,  that  of  the  two  men,  Dabney  was  always  the  more  respect- 
ful and  deferential  in  the  treatment  of  his  opponent  in  the 
debate. 

Meanwhile,  a  secondary  petty  and  annoying  attack  of  Bledsoe 
on  Dabney  had  begun,  and  was  to  be  carried  on  by  Bledsoe's 
friends  after  his  death.  Its  origin  had  been  as  follows :  In  1872, 
Dr.  Dabney  had,  as  has  been  seen,  published  a  paper  in  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Reviezv,  on  the  "Theology  of  the  Ply- 
mouth Brethren."  In  April,  1877,  Dr.  Bledsoe  published  in  the 
Southern  Reviezv  an  article  on  the  Plymouth  Brethren,  an 
attempted  defence  of  what  he  believed  to  be  a  misrepresented 
people.  In  this  paper,  Dr.  Dabney  is  charged  by  Dr.  Bledsoe 
with  an  intention  to  deceive  his  readers  by  foisting  certain 
words  on  a  certain  writer  who  had  not  used  the  words.  He 
expresses  the  hope  that  Dabney  will  be  able  "in  some  zvay 
unknozvn  to  us,  to  acquit  himself  of  the  intention  to  deceive." 
He  says:  "Who  does  not  blush  for  Dr.  Dabney,  and  hang  his 
head  in  shame.  For  our  part,  we  would  not  be  caught  in  the 
perpetration  of  such  an  act  for  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand 
zvorlds.  .  .  .  Alas  !  for  the  pride  and  glory  of  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary."  ^ 

Similar  charges  were  made  in  the  July  and  October  issues. 
Dabney  never  heard  of  this  charge  against  his  honesty  until 
November,  and  then  as  no  copy  of  the  Southern  Reviezv  came 
to  the  Hampden-Sidney  post-office,  had  to  send  off  and  borrow 
a  copy. 

The  following  letter  shows  whence  and  when  he  got  one  of 
the  issues  of  the  Reviezv  which  contained  the  charge : 

"Farmville,  Va.,  January  5,  1878. 
"Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D. 

"Dear  Brother:  Yours  of  January  ist  was  duly  received.  I  send 
by  Mr.  Dunkum,  with  this,  the  number  of  the  Southern  Review  you 
desired  to  see. 

"As  you  know,  the  restless  spirit  which  manifested  itself  in  several 
fierce  personal  controversies,  within  two  or  three  years  past,  is  at  rest 
in  the  sleep  of  the  grave.  Poor  'old  Bled,'  as  some  of  us  have  been 
used  to  call  him  !    I  think,  after  all,  and  amidst  all,  he  was  a  good  man. 

'  See  these  words  quoted  in  Central  Presbyterian,  February  6,  1878. 


390         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

If  he  has  charged  you  wrongfully,  I  am  sure  it  was  not  with  malicious 
purpose  to  injure.  For  myself  I  have  never  allowed  any  of  Bledsoe's 
statements  to  weaken  my  faith  in  the  integrity  and  truth  of  the  men  he 
assailed.  I  paid  little  heed  to  this  matter.  If  you  made  the  mistake  of 
charging  one  man  with  what  another  wrote  or  said,  I  felt  sure  it  was 
an  innocent  mistake.  If  you  think  well,  you  can,  of  course,  correct  the 
error  or  false  accusation ;  but  I  presume,  as  with  myself,  so  with  nearly 
all  the  readers  of  the  Southern  Review,  the  correction  will  be  needless 
as  far  as  your  character  and  standing  as  a  good  and  faithful  man  are 
concerned. 

"If  at  any  time  I  can  serve  you,  please  command  my  services. 

"Yours  very  truly,  Paul  Whitehead." 

The  charg-e  was  foolishly  made,  and  foolishly  pressed.  Dr. 
Dabney  would  have  gained  nothing  by  doing  what  was  charged. 
What  he  really  did  was,  substantially,  to  gather  the  real  teach- 
ings of  a  certain  Plymouth  Brethren  writer,  and  place  them 
under  quotation  marks,  and  put  them  in  a  certain  collocation 
with  other  quoted  words,  so  that  a  careless  or  prejudiced  reader 
might  refer  both  passages  under  quotation  marks  to  the  same 
writer,  but  without  intending  to  mislead  any  such  reader.  The 
question  arises :  Is  it  proper,  when  digesting  a  man's  teachings 
into  connected  form,  to  use  quotation  marks?  This  was  Dr. 
Dabney's  chief,  if  not  his  only  fault,  if  fault  it  be.  It  was  cer- 
tainly no  sufficient  ground  for  the  persecution  to  which  he  was 
subjected  for  some  months.  Dr.  Bledsoe  had  died  on  December 
8,  1877,  before  it  was  practicable  for  Dr.  Dabney  to  reply.  He 
was  mindful  of  the  fact  that  Dr.  Bledsoe  was  dead.  In  his  first 
paper,  he  vindicated  his  own  honesty  in  a  frank,  manly,  straight- 
forward way.  His  defence  was  purely  defensive,  consisting  in 
a  statement  of  facts  without  epithets  or  inference.  A  friend  of 
Dr.  Bledsoe's  attempted  a  rejoinder  a  month  or  so  later.  The 
week  following.  Dr.  Dabney  replied,  threshing  the  ground  with 
his  new  assailant  f  but  the  impression  remains  that  it  would 
have  been  better  for  him,  while  he  is  to  be  held  as  one  of  the 
most  truthful  and  honest  of  men,  and  as  having  interpreted  the 
books  whose  teachings  he  reduced  accurately,  to  have  been  a 
little  more  careful  in  the  use  of  quotation  marks.  True,  the 
brilliant  Prof.  H.  B.  Smith  used  quotation  marks  in  the  same 
way,  and  it  is  often  convenient,  but  an  enemy  may  give  the 
user  trouble. 

'  For  these  articles,  see  Central  Presbyterian,  February,  1878,  April 
3.  1878,  and  April  10,  1878. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     391 

During  these  years,  Dr.  Dabney  found  leisure  and  oppor- 
tunity for  the  production  of  articles  of  great  value  on  sundry 
other  theological  and  evangelical  themes.  Thus  in  1876  we 
have  "Lay  Preaching,"  a  very  kindly  and  respectful,  but  power- 
ful indictment  of  lay  preaching,  even  of  the  type  of  Mr. 
Moody's,^  and  "Prelacy  a  Blunder,"  a  paper  in  which  ^°  he 
stalks  around  amongst  papal  and  High  Church  Episcopal 
images,  and  demolishes  them  with  the  hammer  of  Thor : 

"The  prelatist  supposes  that  the  grace  of  Christ  is  appHed  to  the 
soul,  not  as  the  Bible  teaches,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the  word 
rationally  apprehended  and  embraced  by  faith,  but  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
working  miraculously,  without  the  truth,  but  through  a  priestly  and 
sacramental  hand,  just  as  when  through  a  miracle- worker  he  casts  out  a 
demon,  or  heals  a  leper.  In  the  eyes  of  a  prelatist,  ordination  is  not  the 
confirming  of  a  didactic  and  ruling  ministration  proceeding  on  the  can- 
didate's previous  possession  of  natural  and  gracious  qualifications,  but 
it  is  a  miracle  wrought  upon  the  candidate  by  the  hand  of  an  apostle, 
enabling  him  in  turn  to  work  certain  other  miracles.  When  the  priest, 
clothed  with  this  endowment,  consecrates  the  Eucharist,  he  truly  works 
a  miracle,  then  and  there  converting  bread  and  wine  into  the  real  flesh 
and  blood  of  Christ,  and  conveying  by  them  supernatural  and  spiritual 
life  into  the  souls  of  the  persons  into  whose  mouths  he  puts  the  ele- 
ments. So,  when  he  applies  the  water  of  baptism  to  infants,  he  works 
another  miracle  by  it ;  he  quickens  the  soul  thereby  which  was  born 
dead  in  sin.  In  a  word,  souls  are  brought  into  a  state  of  salvation,  not 
by  a  rational,  scriptural  and  spiritual  faith  on  the  gospel,  but  by  a  mira- 
cle-working power  deposited  with  the  priest  and  dispensed  by  his 
sacramental  forms ;  and  the  deposition  of  that  power  by  the  apostle- 
bishop  is  precisely  a  case  like  that  of  the  communication  of  tongues  and 
powers  by  the  apostles'  hands  in  the  book  of  Acts."  " 

Having  thus  stated  the  meaning  of  prelacy,  he  proceeds  to 
demolish  the  supposed  scriptural  grounds  of  prelacy.  In  this 
process,  he  draws  a  clear  line  between  those  gifts  and  powers 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  enabled  some  men  in  the  apostolic 
church  to  work  miraculous  signs,  and  the  ministerial  gifts  and 
powers  of  scriptural  clergymen.  Removing  the  prelatic  mis- 
takes and  errors  touching  the  former,  he  does  not  leave  one 
word  or  line  of  Scripture  to  support  the  theory  of  tactual  succes- 

'  In  Southern  Presbyterian  Review  for  April,  1876.  See  Discussions, 
Vol.  II.,  pp.  96  ff. 

^^  See  this  in  Discussiojis.  Vol.  II.,  pp.  218  ff. 
"  Discussio)is,  Vol.  II.,  p.  229. 


392         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

sion  and  sacramental  grace,  and  leaves  it,  as  he  says,  "a.  mere 
dream-castle,  with  no  basis  except  the  corruptions  of  the  unin- 
spired and  decadent  ages  of  Christendom,  the  strength  of  blind 
and  erroneous  prescription,  and  the  superabounding  assertions 
of  its  advocates." 

In  1879,  we  have  "The  Dancing  Question,"  a  learned,  and 
very  able  polemic  against  promiscuous  dancing  in  general,  and 
the  round  dance  in  particular  as  a  disciplinable  offence  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  our  church,^-  and  "Endless  Punishment,"  a 
dignified  and  noble  review  of  Canon  Farrar's  Eternal  Hope, 
and  of  the  Death  of  Death,  by  an  "Orthodox  Layman."  With 
peculiar  gentleness,  because  of  the  awful  subject,  he  brought 
out  the  "foolish,  uncandid  and  mischievous"  character  of  Far- 
rar's book,  shows  that  its  arguments  are  weak  and  self- 
contradictory,  its  misrepresentations  patent,  and  that  it  is  suited 
to  lulling  impenitent  men  into  false  security  by  holding  out  the 
delusive  hope  of  repentance  after  death.  Nor  did  he  deal  with 
the  other  work  in  a  less  effective  way.  We  have  in  this  year 
also,  "The  Public  Preaching  of  Women,"  ^^  a  masterly  discus- 
sion, in  excellent  tone.  He  shows  that  it  is  an  "assault  of  in- 
fidelity on  God's  truth  and  kingdom,"  and  that  it  ought  to  be 
withstood  as  any  other  assault.  He  published  in  this  year,  1879, 
too,  a  sermon  on  "Parental  Responsibilities,"  a  paper  of  tre- 
mendous power.  In  1880,  we  have  "The  Sabbath  of  the  State," 
a  very  wise  and  thorough-going  vindication  of  the  duty  of  the 
state  to  have  a  Sabbath,  the  gist  of  his  contention  being  as 
follows : 

"If  the  Christian  Sabbath  were  nothing  but  an  ordinance  of  the 
spiritual  kingdom  and  means  of  redemption,  then  the  state  should  leave 
its  enforcement,  as  it  properly  does  that  of  the  Christian  worship  and 
sacraments,  to  the  persuasions  of  the  church ;  but  while  the  day  is  this,, 
it  is  also  another  thing;  the  necessary  support  of  that  natural  theism, 
domestic  virtue,  and  popular  morality,  which  are  the  foundations  of  the 
state.  The  state  is  from  God,  exists  by  his  ordinance,  holds  its  powers 
by  delegation  from  him,  and  has  no  other  basis  for  the  righteousness  it 
seeks  to  enforce  between  man  and  man  than  his  will.  On  the  basis  of 
atheism,  there  can  be  no  stable  structure,  either  of  ethics  or  government. 
Hence  the  state's  right  to  exist  includes  her  right  to  protect  these  essen- 
tial conditions  of  her  existence,  and  to  enforce  that  outward  observance 
of  the  Sabbath  rest,  which  alone  makes  the  inculcation  of  God's  fear 

"Discussions,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  560-593. 

^'Appeared  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Rcviczv  for  October,  1879. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     393 

and  of  public  and  private  virtue  practicable,  through  those  distinct,  but 
friendly,  cooperative  agencies  which  God  has  ordained  to  keep  men  in 
his  fear,  the  family  and  the  church." 

In  the  year  1880  appeared,  also,  his  "The  System  of  Alex- 
ander Campbell :  An  Examination  of  its  Leading  Points,"  a 
most  drastic  expose  and  utter  overthrow  of  that  pretentious, 
but  shallow  and  fallacious  "no-creed"  creed."  In  1881,  we 
have  "Vindicatory  Justice  Essential  to  God,"  a  powerful  sermon 
on  Romans  ii.  6-11.  It  appeared  as  an  article  in  the  Southern 
Pulpit,  April,  1881.  In  this  year  we  have,  also,  "The  Influence 
of  the  German  University  System  on  Theological  Literature," 
a  very  instructive  and  generous  exposition,  accompanied  by 
trenchant,  but  just  criticism ;  and  "The  Revised  Version  of  the 
New  Testament,"  a  relatively  brief,  but  pregnant  and  effective 
criticism  of  various  changes  in  text  and  translation.  In  1882, 
he  published,  also  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Review,  his 
"Refutation  of  Prof.  W.  Robertson  Smith."  He  tells,  in  part, 
what  he  thinks  of  "The  Old  Testament  in  the  Jewish  Church," 
in  the  following  paragraph  : 

"This  book  may  be  justly  described  as  thoroughly  untrustzvorthy. 
The  careful  reader  can  hardly  trust  the  author  in  a  single  paragraph. 
Citations  are  v^^arped,  history  misrepresented,  other  theologians'  views 
adroitly  travestied,  half  truths  advanced  for  whole  ones.  All  is  dog- 
matic assertion.  In  the  construing  of  Scripture  statements,  the  author, 
as  if  he  were  the  critical  pope,  discards  expositions  which  do  not  suit 
his  purpose,  however  well  supported  by  critical  learning  and  the  greatest 
names,  without  giving  reasons  for  his  decrees.  His  readers  have  not  a 
hint  that  the  soundest  biblical  learning  has  rejecttd  his  views,  and  that 
on  conclusive  grounds.  Everything  which  does  not  please  him  is  abso- 
lutely uncritical;  so  much  so  as,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  to  deserve  no 
refutation,  nor  even  mention.  Must  the  well-informed  reader  explain 
this  as  a  disingenuous  and  wilful  suppressio  veri,  or  as  ignorance?  It  is 
more  charitable  to  him  to  surmise  that,  with  all  his  affectation  of  mastery 
of  modern  critical  science,  his  knowledge  is  really  shallow  and  one-sided, 
and  that  he  has  fallen  under  the  blighting  influence  of  his  leaders.  The 
charitable  reader  may  think  this  judgment  severe.  If  he  afflicts  himself, 
as  we  have  done,  with  a  careful  study  of  his  book,  he  will  conclude  that 
the  verdict  is  just,  even  forbearing.  He  will  reach  the  same  conclusion 
if  he  will  ponder  our  specific  criticisms." 

All  those  who  hold,  with  Dr.  Dabney,  the  essential  inerrancy 
of  the  Scriptures,  must  admit  the  truth  of  his  view  of  Smith's 

"This  fine  article  is  found  in  Discussions.  Vol.  I.,  pp.  315  ff- 


394         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

work,  and  that  he  pulverizes  it.  In  1883,  the  church  was  stirred 
by  certain  brethren,  who  plead  for  a  ministry  without  any 
classical  acquirements.  A  bright  young  brother  had  published 
in  our  Revieiv  two  awakening  essays  entitled,  "An  Inquiry  into 
the  Aggressiveness  of  Presbyterianism."  In  answer  to  the 
positions  taken  in  these  essays  and  other  signs  of  restlessness  in 
the  church.  Dr.  Dabney  came  out,  in  the  April  number  of  the 
Rez'ietv,  with,  "A  Thoroughly  Educated  Ministry,"  a  paper 
whose  positions  have  been  abundantly  justified  by  the  subse- 
quent history  of  the  church.  This  is  no  time  to  grow  lax  on  the 
subject  of  ministerial  education. 

The  note  accompanying  the  manuscript,  when  sent  to  the 
editor  of  the  Review,  is  characteristic  of  the  writer,  and  con- 
tains a  historic  touch  worth  preserving: 

"January  27,  1883. 
"The  Rev.  J.  B.  Adger,  D.  D. 

"Dear  Brother:  You  will  find  herewith  an  attempt  at  a  manuscript 
on  the  duty  of  educating  our  ministry  thoroughly.  The  discussion  is 
exciting  much  attention,  and  it  is  a  surprise  to  me  to  see  men  like  the 

editor  of  the  Central  Presbyterian,  the  Elder  — ,  Dr.  ,  and 

Rev.  seemingly  giving  in  to  this  wild-fire.     These  are  days  of 

innovation.  It  really  seems  as  though  the  fact  that  none  of  our  fore- 
fathers have  been  fools  enough  to  try  a  plan  is  a  keen  inducement  now 
to  adopt  it.  The  principle  at  the  bottom  of  this  spirit  of  innovation  is 
mostly  conceit.  Prudent  people  say,  'That  plan  when  tried  before  was 
found  to  be  obstructed  by  this  or  that  obstacle  or  bad  consequences.' 
Oh !  that  makes  no  diflference  to  us ;  the  former  experimenters  were 
not  smart  like  us.  We  shall  be  cute  enough  to  prevent  the  obstructive 
consequences,  and  get  the  good  without  the  evil.  In  a  word,  the  well- 
tried  experience  of  former  men  does  not  profit  us,  because  those  old 
fellows  were  not  smart  enough  to  experiment  for  such  smart  people 
as  we  are. 

"I  do  not  know  how  the  manuscript  will  strike  you.  I  have  tried 
to  avoid  everything  like  harshness  or  sarcasm  in  dealing  with  young 
.  As  his  article  was  anonymous,  I  wish  mine  to  appear  anony- 
mously also. 

"I  hope  that  you  keep  well  this  hard  weather.  We  have  had  a 
gloomy  and  severe  month  here.     I  keep  within  doors. 

"Yours  faithfully,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

The  writings  that  we  have  thus  described  since  speaking  of 
the  Bledsoe  controversy,  would  alone  compose  a  stout  volume 
of  proximately  four  hundred  octavo  pages ;  and,  in  the  absence 
of  any  other  writings  whatever  on  his  part,  would  of  them- 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     395 

selves  demonstrate  the  author's  vast  range  of  theological  learn- 
ing and  extraordinary  abilities  as  a  thinker  and  writer.  But 
the  revision  and  republication  of  his  Theology,  the  publication 
of  his  Sensualistic  Philosophy,  his  fight  against  the  tendency 
toward  the  fusion  of  the  churches,  his  fight  with  Dr.  Bledsoe, 
et  al.,  and  these  sundry  writings,  and  others  not  noticed,  on 
theological  topics,  and  his  professorial  work,  all  together,  could 
not  sate  his  tireless  energies.  He  is  interested  in  the  secular 
world,  also,  and  devotes  to  it  time  and  thought. 

In  the  year  1883,  there  appeared,  in  the  January,  July  and 
October  issues  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Reviezv,  a  discus- 
sion of  "Inductive  Logic."  The  first  of  these  articles  appeared 
under  the  caption,  "What  is  Inductive  Demonstration?"  The 
second,  under  that  of  "The  Nature  of  Physical  Causes,  and 
their  Induction."  The  third  bore  the  title,  "The  Metaphysical 
and  Theological  Application  of  Induction  and  Analogy."  In 
these  articles,  which  together  cover  more  than  one  hundred 
octavo  pages,  Dr.  Dabney  makes  a  substantial  contribution  to 
the  Hght  on  this  important  subject.  It  is  hardly  too  much  to 
say  that  for  the  first  time  amongst  British  and  American 
writers  he  lifts  the  process  clear  of  confusion,  and  proves  the 
real  inductive  process  to  be  a  department  of  syllogistic  reason- 
ing. Through  a  review,  he  brings  out  the  facts  that — First. 
"Sometimes  the  mere  collocation  of  resembling  cases  has  been 
called  induction."  Second.  "Sometimes  the  name  has  been 
given  to  the  mere  tentative  inference  from  some  of  the  observed 
instances  to  the  all,  including  the  unobserved."  Third.  "Some- 
times it  has  been  used  to  describe  what  is  in  reaHty  no  process 
of  argument  at  all,  but  the  mere  formulating  in  a  single  proposi- 
tion of  a  class  of  observed  facts,  as  when  having  seen  by  inspec- 
tion a  given  predication  true  of  each  and  every  individual 
separately,  we  predicate  it  of  the  class."  He  then  shows  that 
inductive  demonstration  is  another  and  a  higher  thing.  "It  is 
the  valid  inference  of  the  law  of  nature  from  observed  instances 
of  sequence,  by  applying  to  them  a  universal,  necessary  judg- 
ment, as  premise,  the  intuition  of  cause  for  every  effect.  It  has 
often  been  said,  as  by  Grote's  Aristotle,  for  instance,  that  in- 
duction is  a  different  process  from  syllogism,  and  is,  in  fact, 
preliminary  thereto ;  that  induction  prepares  the  propositions 
from  which  syllogism  reasons.  This  is  true  of  that  induction, 
abusively  so  called,"  the  induction  spoken  of  further  back  under 
first  and  third.     It  is  not  true  inductive  demonstration.    It  has, 


396         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

indeed,  usually  been  assumed  that  induction  is  a  different 
species  of  reasoning  from  deduction.  But  the  actions  numbered 
first  and  third  above  are  not  argumentative  processes  at  all. 
They  do  not  lead  to  new  truths.  They  merely  formulate  in 
general  terms  or  general  propositions,  individual  perceptions 
or  individual  judgments,  already  attained.  "True  induction,  or 
inductive  demonstration,  is  simply  one  department  of  syllogistic 
reasoning,  and  is  as  truly  deductive  as  the  rest  of  syllogism, 
giving  us,  namely,  those  deductions  which  flow  from  the  com- 
bination of  the  universal  and  necessary  intuition  of  cause,  with 
observed  facts  of  sequence.^' 

In  addition  to  the  true  service  done  to  the  physical  sciences 
in  this  discussion,  Dr.  Dabney  gives  happy,  if  incidental,  aid 
to  a  sound  philosophy  and  an  orthodox  theology.^® 

During  these  years  Dr.  Dabney  gave  no  little  time  to  the 
consideration  of  the  common  school  system  as  imposed  by  the 
Underwood  Constitution  on  the  State  of  Virginia.  He  pub- 
lished numerous  articles  on  the  subject.  In  1876,  a  long  article 
on  "The  Negro  and  the  Common  School,"  in  the  columns  of 
the  Planter  and  Fanner.  He  opposed  the  common  school  edu- 
cation of  the  negro,  according  to  the  method  employed  in  Vir- 
ginia, on  the  grounds  that  the  negro  does  not  need  it  to  fit  him 
to  exercise  the  "right  of  suffrage,"  since  the  negro  will  soon 
be  stripped  of  that  "right" ;  that  the  education  would  not  lift 
the  negro  to  competence  to  vote,  if  voting  were  allowed  him ; 
that  the  common  school  education  will  make  the  negro  worse, 
pave  the  way  to  idling  and  inefficiency  in  manual  labor,  and 
immorality.  He  argued  strongly  that  if,  contrary  to  his  con- 
tention, the  negro  should  be  lifted  up  by  his  education,  then 
amalgamation  of  the  races  would  follow — a  still  more  awful 
curse  to  the  whole  country.  He  suggested  as  remedies  for  the 
dire  conditions  which  he  had  depicted,  resort  to  "impartial 
suffrage,"  that  is,  to  a  restriction  of  the  right  of  suffrage  very 
much  such  as  the  Constitutional  Convention  sitting  in  Rich- 
mond in  this  year  (1902)  has,  at  length,  been  trying  to  give, 
and  to  a  reform  of  the  school  system,  or  the  annihilation  of  the 

"  Discussions,  Vol.  III.,  p.  428. 

"  Dr.  Dabney  seems  to  have  been  invited  to  make  the  annual  address 
before  the  Victoria  Institute,  or  Philosophical  Society  of  Great  Britain, 
on  the  30th  of  June,  1884.  He  had  read,  at  the  time,  an  address  on 
"Inductive  Logic,"  for  which  the  thanks  of  the  body  were  tendered  him, 
the  Earl  of  Shaftsbury  presiding. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     397 

Underwood  system,  and  the  establishment  of  one  similar  to 
that  in  vogue  in  Virginia  prior  to  1861.  His  idea  was  not  to 
provide  for  the  education  of  all  negro  children,  but  for  the 
aspiring  ones,  who  should  be  unable  to  educate  themselves,  by 
having  a  negro  literary  fund. 

"Let  two  separate  literary  funds  then  be  created,  one  for  whites  and 
one  for  blacks,  each  separate,  and  each  replenished  from  the  taxation 
of  its  own  class.  Let  'each  tub  stand  upon  its  own  bottom.'  Instead 
of  the  State  undertaking  to  be  a  universal  creator  and  sustainer  of 
schools,  let  it  invite  parents  to  create,  sustain  and  govern  their  own 
schools  under  the  assistance  and  guidance  of  an  inexpensive  and 
(mainly)  unsalaried  board,  and  then  render  such  help  to  those  parents 
who  are  unable  to  help  themselves,  as  the  very  limited  school  tax  will 
permit.  And  let  the  existence  of  some  aspiration  in  parents  or  children 
be  the  uniform  condition  of  the  aid ;  for  without  this  condition,  it  is 
infallibly  thrown  away.  One  man  may  take  a  horse  to  water,  but  a 
hundred  can't  make  him  drink."  ^' 

This  paper  excited  much  comment  in  the  current  press.  The 
advocates  of  the  common  school  system  championed  their  cause. 
The  protagonist  of  these  champions  was  Dr.  William  H.  Ruff- 
ner,  the  State  Superintendent  of  the  Common  Schools ;  and  to 
Dr.  Ruffner,  Dr.  Dabney  replied  in  a  series  of  fine  articles  in 
the  Richmond  Enquirer.  In  the  first  of  these,  while  declaring, 
"I  am  an  advocate  for  the  State's  providing,  if  necessary,  all 
the  aid  for  children's  schooling  zvhich  is  really  desirable  and 
will  he  really  utilized  by  them — that  is,  upon  the  old  Virginia 
plan,"  he  maintains  that  the  promise  of  universal  education  by 
the  Underwood  system  is  delusive  and  mischievous ;  that  the 
State — American  State — is  incompetent  to  give  an  education 
of  a  desirable  moral  character,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  educate  all  men,  were  the  State  fit  by  nature  for  the  work. 
We  cannot  make  "silk  purses  of  sow's  ears."  He  predicts  that 
the  effort  to  give  a  common  education  will  lead  to  compulsory 
education.  In  the  next  paper,  he  maintains  that  the  State  edu- 
cational system  involves  the  ideas  of  the  levellers,  which  is  im- 
practicable and  dangerous ;  that  the  little  education  which  it 
may  succeed  in  giving  will  prove  dangerous.  In  the  next  paper 
he  shows  that,  according  to  this  system,  the  children  of  the 
decent  must  become  companions  of  the  children  of  the  vile,  and 
thus  be  corrupted :   and  that  demagogues  can  use  this  system 

"Discussions,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  190. 


398         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

to  give  currency  to  their  views  and  ensnare  the  people.  In  the 
next  paper,  he  argues  powerfully  that  the  public  schools,  in 
States  wherein  the  American  theory  of  separation  of  church 
and  state  obtains,  cannot  teach  the  Bible,  that  no  good  morals 
can  be  taught  without  the  Bible,  and  that  there  can  be  no  proper 
or  desirable  education  without  the  instillation  of  good  morals. 
A  little  later,  he  published  two  papers  in  Libby's  Princeton 
Revieiv,  in  which  many  of  these  notions  were  more  elaborately 
argued.  And  in  January,  1879,  ^e  came  out  again  in  the  South- 
ern Planter,  with  an  article  under  the  caption,  "Free  Schools," 
in  which  he  belabored  the  Underwood  system  like  a  Titian,  and 
held  in  admired  contrast  the  old  Virginia  plan,  and  even  the 
plan  adopted  in  Georgia  after  the  war. 

Dr.  Dabney  believed  that  in  the  ordering  of  Providence  the 
duty  of  education  rests  with  the  parent ;  and  that  neither  state 
nor  church  is  to  usurp  it;  but  that  "both  are  to  enlighten, 
encourage  and  assist  the  parent  in  his  inalienable  task."  In 
support  of  his  view  that  the  direction  of  the  education  of  chil- 
dren is  neither  a  civic  nor  an  ecclesiastic  function,  he  argued 
as  follows : 

"First,  we  read  in  Holy  Writ  that  God  ordained  the  family  by 
the  union  of  one  woman  to  one  man,  in  one  flesh,  for  life,  for  the  de- 
clared end  of  'seeking  a  godly  seed.'  Does  not  this  imply  that  he  looks 
to  parents,  in  whom  the  family  is  founded,  as  the  responsible  agents  of 
this  result?  He  has  also,  in  the  fifth  commandment,  connected  the 
child  proximately,  not  with  either  presbytery  or  magistrate,  but  with 
the  parents,  which,  of  course,  confers  on  them  the  adequate  and  prior 
authority.  This  argument  appears  again  in  the  very  order  of  the  his- 
torical genesis  of  the  family  and  state,  as  well  as  of  the  visible  church. 
The  family  was  first.  Parents,  at  the  outset,  were  the  only  social  heads 
existing.  The  right  rearing  of  children  by  them  was  in  order  to  the 
right  creation  of  the  other  two  institutes.  It  thus  appears  that  naturally 
the  parents'  authority  over  their  children  could  not  have  come  by  depu- 
tation from  either  state  or  visible  church,  any  more  than  the  water  in  a 
fountain  by  derivation  from  its  reservoir  below.  Second,  the  dispensa- 
tion of  Divine  Providence  in  the  course  of  nature  shows  where  the 
power  and  duty  of  educating  are  deposited.  That  ordering  is  that  the 
parents  decide  in  what  status  the  child  shall  begin  his  adult  career.  The 
son  inherits  the  fortune,  the  social  position,  the  responsibility,  or  the 
ill-fame  of  his  father.  Third,  God  has  provided  for  the  parents  social 
and  moral  influences  so  unique,  so  extensive,  that  no  earthly  power, 
nor  all  others  together,  can  substitute  them  in  fashioning  the  child's 
character.  The  home  example,  armed  with  the  venerable  authority  of 
the  father  and  the  mother,  repeated  amidst  the  constant  intimacies  of 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     399 

the  fireside,  seconded  by  filial  reverence,  ought  to  have  the  most  potent 
plastic  force  over  character.  And  this  unique  power  God  has  guarded 
by  an  affection,  the  strongest,  most  deathless,  and  most  unselfish,  which 
remains  in  the  breast  of  fallen  man.  Until  the  magistrate  can  feel  a 
love,  and  be  nerved  by  it  to  a  self-denying  care  and  toil  equal  to  that 
of  the  father  and  mother,  he  can  show  no  pretext  for  assuming  any 
parental  function." 

He  held  that  the  State  had  no  more  right  to  invade  the 
parental  sphere  than  the  parent  to  invade  theirs.  "The  right 
distribution  of  all  duties  and  power  between  the  three  circles 
would  be  the  complete  solution  of  that  problem  of  good  govern- 
ment which  has  never  yet  been  solved  with  full  success."  His 
ideal  of  the  solution  of  the  educational  problem  was  as  follows, 
viz.: 

"Let  us  suppose  that  both  state  and  church  recognize  the  parent  as 
the  educating  power ;  that  they  assume  towards  him  an  auxiliary  instead 
of  a  dominating  attitude;  that  the  state  shall  encourage  individual  and 
voluntary  efforts,  by  holding  the  impartial  shield  of  legal  protection 
over  all  property  which  may  be  devoted  to  education ;  that  it  shall 
encourage  all  private  efforts;  and  that  in  its  eleemosynary  character  it 
shall  aid  those  whose  property  and  misfortunes  disable  them  from 
properly  rearing  their  own  children.  Thus  the  insoluble  problems 
touching  religion  in  state  schools  would  be  solved,  because  the  state  was 
not  the  responsible  creator  of  the  schools,  but  the  parents.  Our  educa- 
tional system  might  present  less  mechanical  symmetry;  but  it  would 
be  more  flexible,  more  practical,  and  more  useful." 

These  writings  were  informing  and  powerful.  Few  readers, 
perhaps,  would  agree  with  the  author  in  every  position  which 
he  takes  here ;  but  some  very  thoughtful  men  at  the  time  gave 
the  most  emphatic  endorsation,  not  only  on  his  general  views 
on  the  proper  educating  power  and  the  relations  of  church  and 
state  thereto,  but  of  his  condemnation  of  the  Underwood 
system.  They  are  commended  by  some  very  thoughtful  men 
of  to-day.  These  papers  are  worthy  of  the  study  of  statesmen 
and  ecclesiastics,  and  of  all  good  citizens  and  good  Christians. 
While  he  does  not  demonstrate  the  truth  of  his  every  position, 
he  shakes  the  torch  of  truth  around  with  effect  vastly  illumi- 
nating. 

It  should  be  said  that  he  made  this  fight  without  expecting 
any  speedy  adoption  of  his  views.  He  was  not  a  man  "to  abate 
one  jot  of  heart  or  hope"  because  the  world  was  not  jogging 


400         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

his  way.  He  enjoyed  uttering  his  testimony  against  the  current 
common  school  system  as  "infidel  in  tendency,"  "disorganiz- 
ing," and  "Yankeeish." 

Dr.  Dabney  found  time  during  these  years  for  the  study  of 
other  political  topics.  Amongst  his  literary  remains  of  the 
period  is  a  historical  paper  touching  the  origin  of  the  war 
between  the  sections.  It  was  published  in  the  Southern  His- 
torical Society  Papers.  It  is  deeply  interesting,  and  is  pre- 
sented in  the  form  of  a  memoir  of  a  narrative  received  of 
Col.  John  B.  Baldwin,  of  Staunton,  Va.  It  gives  the  account 
of  Colonel  Baldwin's  interview  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  when  sent 
on  his  private  mission  from  the  Virginia  Secession  Convention 
to  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  April,  1861.  "It  is  a  valuable  contribution 
to  the  history  of  the  origin  of  the  war."  Another  strong  paper 
from  this  period  is  found  in  a  clipping,  apparently  of  the  New 
York  World,  on  "Repudiation  in  Virginia,"  in  which  the  politi- 
cal and  social  situation  in  Virginia,  and  the  causes  which  had 
led  to  it,  are  boldly  and  graphically  sketched.  It  must  have 
made  very  hot  reading  for  such  Readiusters  as  chanced  upon  it. 
Still  another  production  was  his  gr.-'.nd  and  awful  address  on 
the  "New  South." 

The  history  of  the  framing  and  delivery  of  this  speech  is 
worth  hearing,  and  we  have  it  substantially  in  Dr.  Dabney's 
own  words : 

"I  had  been  spending  parts  of  May  and  June,  1882,  in  a  laborious 
preaching  tour  in  Southern  and  Western  North  Carolina.  I  reached 
home  the  Saturday  before  College  commencement,  pretty  well  broken 
down.  I  had  a  missionary  appointment  for  the  next  day  down  at 
Brown's  Church,  in  Cumberland  county,  fifteen  miles  off.  But  Saturday 
afternoon  a  committee  of  the  Philanthropic  Society  came  rushing  over 
to  beg  me  to  deliver  the  main  commencement  address  on  Wednesday. 
I  was  an  old  Phip.  It  was  their  year  to  choose  the  speaker.  They  had 
struck  too  high,  selecting  first  one  and  then  another  big  politician,  who 
temporized  and  then  refused.  So  here  they  were,  without  any  speaker 
at  all,  and  the  Union  men,  who  had  succeeded  grandly  the  previous  year, 
flouting  them  for  their  failure.  I  said  to  them,  'Were  I  not  a  good- 
natured  old  man,  I  should  view  it  thus :  that  you  really  do  not  think 
me  fit  to  represent  you,  if  you  could  get  anybody  else.  You  wish  to  do 
with  me  as  the  housekeeper  does  when  company  comes,  and  she  has 
a  skimpy  dinner;  she  trots  out  her  cold  souse,  not  because  it  is  much 
eating,  but  it  covers  a  place  on  the  naked  board.  Well,  I  will  be  your 
cold  souse,  provided  your  president  will  sanction  your  selection.'  They 
said,  'Of  course  he  will,  gladly.     What  is  the  use  of  such  a  proviso?' 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     401 

I  said  to  them,  'Perhaps  not  so  much  of  course  as  you  think.  You 
think,  very  rightly,  that  there  ought  to  be  no  doubt  of  the  acceptance 
of  a  man  who  has  lived  here  twenty-nine  years,  who  has  given  his  ser- 
vices and  his  money  to  the  College,  who  has  twice  acted  successfully 
as  its  temporary  president;  but  we  shall  see  what  we  shall  see.'  Well, 
Monday  forenoon,  here  came  Dr.  Atkinson,  with  hot  but  embarrassed 
zeal,  to  tell  me  that  before  he  could  give  his  consent  he  must  know  what 
my  topic  and  its  treatment  were  to  be.  I,  being  a  cantankerous,  bitter 
old  man,  did  not  ask  him  whether  he  had  made  such  a  demand  of 
Speaker  Thomas  S.  Bocock,  Ran.  Tucker  or  Judge  W.  M.  Treadway, 
before  allowing  them  to  speak.  I  told  him  very  good-naturedly  my  topic 
and  treatment.  Whereupon  he  said  I  might  speak.  I  suppose  he 
thought,  or  some  fool  told  him,  that  I  would  discuss  the  Yankee  Assem- 
bly, with  its  mutatis  mutandis,  resolutions  and  the  Herrick  Johnson 
rider.  Of  course,  I  had  taste  and  judgment  enough  not  to 
drag  in  so  alien  a  subject  upon  a  college  commencement  platform. 
Having  now  but  parts  of  two  days,  I  attempted  to  write  nothing.  The 
speech  was  extempore,  none  of  its  verbal  dress  thought  out  and  nothing 
written,  except  some  heads  on  one  sheet  of  note-paper.  Wednesday 
came,  and  they  gave  me  the  fag  end  of  the  afternoon,  with  a  tired  and 
listless  audience.  When  I  rose,  Dr.  rose  in  his  place,  far  for- 
ward, and  stalked  down  the  aisle  with  an  air  of  ostentatious  protest. 
Being  a  cantankerous,  hard  old  man,  I  never  asked  nor  hinted  the 
slightest  amends  from  him  for  this  public  slight.  As  soon  as  I  began, 
I  waked  up  my  audience  and  held  them  to  the  end.  This  was  my  speech 
on  'The  New  South.'  When  I  closed,  a  large  part  of  the  audience  was 
in  tears.  One  after  another  of  the  grave  Trustees  came  and  took  my 
hand,  and  wrung  it,  while  the  tears  were  running*  down  their  cheeks ; 
some  sobbed  aloud,  unable  to  control  their  feelings.  I  afterwards  wrote 
the  speech  out,  at  Charley's  request,  and  he  had  it  nicely  printed,  in 
Raleigh.  When  John  Randolph  Tucker  received  a  copy,  he  wrote  me  a 
kind  letter  of  thanks.  He  said  that  there  were  two  writings  which 
would  always  hold  the  transcendant  place  with  him  for  true  insight 
and  for  power  of  expression.  One  was  Thornwell's  'Dying  Appeal  to 
the  Confederates';  the  other,  this  'New  South.'" 

There  were  still  other  writings  of  a  character  more  or  less 
political  in  this  period.  Throughout  this  entire  period,  up  to 
1882,  Dr.  Dabney  was  co-editor  with  Dr.  John  B.  Adger,  of 
Columbia,  S.  C.,'  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Reviezv.  He 
gave  himself  to  this  form  of  labor  with  his  customary  zeal  and 
efficiency.  This  work  necessitated  much  extra  correspondence. 
We  find  him  writing  in  many  directions,  soliciting  articles  for 
the  dififerent  departments  of  the  Review,  reading  and  editing 
manuscripts,  making  suggestions  to  the  authors,  and  so  forth. 
26 


402         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

He  maintained,  in  connection  with  his  work,  a  very  interesting- 
correspondence  with  Dr.  Adger.  He  was  a  man  who  could 
rarely  confine  himself,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  to  mere  details  of 
business.  Hence  these  letters  abound  in  references  and  sketches 
of  contemporary  movements.  The  following  specimens  are 
offered  in  illustration  of  the  correspondence : 

"February  lo,  1881. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  have  at  last  recovered  Dr.  ^Miller's 
paper  on  Endless  Punishment.  I  asked  him  to  modify  it,  and  he  has 
done  so  partially.  Still  I  dislike,  first,  his  statement  as  to  God's  punitive 
justice,  on  page  2;  second,  his  statement  as  to  inability;  third,  his 
statement  that  God  extends  mercy  to  all  he  ean.  I  believe  Dr.  Miller's 
ineaning  in  these  places  is  correct ;  that,  as  to  the  last,  for  instance,  if 
I  asked  whether  he  meant  to  deny  that  God's  omnipotence  could  have 
converted  a  Judas  consistently  with  a  Judas'  free  agency.  Dr.  Miller 
would  say  emphatically  he  did  not  mean  to  deny  it — that  he  was  no 
Pelagian ;  but  what  he  meant  was,  mercy's  not  being  extended  to  all 
in  hell  was  due,  not  to  any  stint  in  God's  mercy,  which,  like  all  his 
attributes,  is  infinite,  but  to  reasons  known  to  his  holiness  and  wisdom 
properly  limiting  mercy  from  those  souls. 

"But  such  is  Dr.  Miller's  bent  for  verbal  paradox  and  antithesis  that 
he  is  very  likely  to  be  misunderstood. 

"Now,  I  send  on  the  manuscript,  because  you  may  still  be  in  need  of 
it  to  fill  the  January  number  (I  exceedingly  regret  your  embarrassment 
about  this).  If  so,  it  may  be  used,  with  advertisement  to  the  reader, 
that  ours  is  a  'free  jpurnal.'  Again.  I  think  it  would  be  well  to  anno- 
tate these  ambiguous  places,  claiming  the  orthodox  sense  for  Dr. 
Miller,  and  very  distinctly  disclaiming  a  heterodox  one  for  ourselves. 
Supposing  that  you  may  need  'copy'  I  send  it  on.  and  leave  the  use  to 
your  own  judgment.  I  shall  try  to  do  my  part  for  the  April  number.  I 
have  already  done  a  good  deal  of  v.ork  on  an  article  for  it.  I  did  not 
suppose  there  was  any  chance  to  get  it  ready  for  the  January  number. 
After  my  return  from  Europe  in  October,  my  leeway  had  to  be  made 
up,  and  I  could  not  write  sooner. 

"Sincerely  your  brother,  "R.  L.  Dabney." 

"The  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Adgcr." 

"February  2,  1882. 
"The  Rev.  J.  B.  Adgcr,  D.  D. 

"Dear  Brother:  I  send  by  this  mail  some  'copy'  for  the  next  num- 
ber of  the  Review.  One  is  a  printed  piece  from  the  Presbyterian 
Review,  the  one  now  supported  by  Shedd  and  Hodge,  etc.,  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Vaughan,  an  old  and  valued  contributor  of  our  own.  I  thought  so 
well  of  the  article  that  I  send  it  to  you,  in  order,  if  we  are  scant  of 
m.atter  for  the  April  number,  we  may  use  it.     I  have  not  mentioned  the 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     403. 

matter  to  Dr.  Vaughan,  and  shall  not  until  j'ou  express  your  opinion  of 
it.  The  next  is  a  book  notice  of  Dr.  Austin  Phelps'  work  on  Homiletics.  ■ 
Please  publish  this  anonymously.  The  next  is  Mr.  Hawes'  article  on 
Jesus'  baptism,  which  I  send  back  emendated.  I  think  it  is  a  pretty 
fair  article. 

"The  next  is  a  review  of  ]\Ir.  Davis'  History  of  the  Confederacy. 
This,  if  published  at  all,  I  also  wish  to  go  in  anonymously.  It  has  been 
a  perplexing  task  to  me.  On  the  one  hand,  everything  convinced  me 
that  our  journal  ought  to  contain  a  full  notice  of  the  work,  from  Mr. 
Davis  position,  from  its  own  ability  and  weight,  from  the  importance  of 
the  subject.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  almost  impossible  for  me  to 
notice  it  candidly  and  honestly,  without  expressing  a  fulness  of  sym- 
pathy with  the  author,  which  would  communicate  to  my  article  a  com- 
plexion too  political,  and  too  partisan  for  a  theological  Review.  Your 
own  eye  will  detect  the  expedients  I  have  resorted  to,  one  main  one 
being  to  let  Mr.  Davis  speak  for  himself.  The  other,  to  put  the  grava- 
men of  my  own  remarks  chiefly  on  the  moral  and  religious  results ; 
still  another,  to  avoid  making  any  charge  of  demoralization  by  subju- 
gation, myself,  against  the  South,  but  to  let  the  Yankees  make  it,  and 
only  speak  of  it  as  hypothetical.  If  you  conclude  that  it  is  not  prudent 
to  publish  all  of  it,  I  shall  not  be  surprised  nor  offended.  I  felt  so 
much  doubt  myself  as  to  re-write  the  most,  and  after  toning  it  down  as 
much  as  I  could,  it  was  not  much  less  sharp  in  spirit  (though  not  in 
letter). 

"I  was  greatly  in  hope  that  the  January  number  would  appear  on 
time,  as  we  had  sent  in  our  copy  so  early ;  but  I  have  not  seen  it  yet. 
I  feel  particularly  annoyed,  especially  by  this  delay  of  my  article  on 
Robertson  Smith,  in  view  of  its  being  so  completely  forestalled  by  Dr. 
W.  H.  Green's  in  Hodge's  Review,  which  was  pre-announced,  and  then 
was  punctually  out  on  January  ist.  Our  editors  are  noticing  that, 
quoting  it,  praising  it.  After  so  long  a  time,  mine  will  come  creeping 
out,  and  will  wear  the  appearance  of  being  a  plagiarism  of  his,  though 
probably  written  first,  and  certainly  written  in  absolute  independence 
of  him.  This  is  very  annoying  and  unlucky.  A  more  prompt  issue  of 
our  numbers  is  essential  to  the  success  of  the  journal. 

"Your  last  interesting  letter  did  not  reach  me  until  two  days  ago.  I 
handed  it  promptly  to  Dr.  Peck,  who  informs  me  he  has  written  or 
will  write  to  you. 

"I  cannot  but  feel  much  sympathy  with  you  as  to  the  proposed 
comment  on  the  International  Sunday-school  Lessons.  In  the  first 
place,  I  feel  towards  the  whole  plan,  very  much  as  a  Yankee  humbug. 
I  cannot  see,  for  the  life  of  me,  why  a  Presbyterian  pastor  should  make 
his  Sunday-school  study  a  given  passage  this  Sunday,  because  other 
schools  happen  to  have  that  passage  that  Sunday;  or  why  he  should 
delegate  his  discretion  as  to  what  the  particular  state  of  his  school 
most  needs  to  a  self-constituted  committee,  away  off  yonder,  especially 


404         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

a  committee  who  make  a  point  of  displaying  their  arrogance  in  ignoring 
our  church.  I  am  absolutely  out  of  sympathy  with  the  whole  thing. 
Again,  the  assumption  which  underlies  these  journalistic  expositions 
is  very  farcical  and  absurd,  as  though  there  zcere  no  commentaries  on 
Scripture  adequate  to  prepare  a  Sunday-school  teacher  and  class.  The 
work  strikes  me  as  wholly  superfluous,  substituting  hasty,  shallow, 
ephemeral  commentaries  for  the  solid  and  thorough  ones  existing  in 
books.  However,  this  is  the  fashion  of  the  hour,  and  I  feel  that  protest 
is  vain.  Our  people  and  ministers  are  determined  to  be  in  fashion  in 
the  matter,  and  "being  in  Rome,  do  as  the  Romans  do.' 

'"I  think  your  point  is  well  taken,  that  the  Assembly  selected  Dr. 
Hazen  for  a  business  agent,  and  not  for  a  commentator ;  but  from  what 
I  hear  of  him  in  Richmond.  I  suppose  he  is  as  competent  as  most 
others.  They  say  his  sermons  there  are  regarded  as  very  orthodox  and 
scholarly.  I  do  not  see  that  anything  can  be  done,  but  that  valuable 
service  which  you  have  performed  as  to  Dr.  Brown;  watch  the  series, 
and  if  error  is  printed,  denouiKe  it.  I  foresee  that  if  action  is  sought 
in  our  Assemblies,  the  answer  will  be,  Dr.  Hazen  is  as  much  responsible 
to  his  Presb\-tery  for  printing  error  as  were  the  brethren  who  did  the 
work  before  him.  Drs.  Brown.  Palmer,  etc.  This  reply  will  satisfy  the 
Assembly,  and  nothing  will  result,  I  think  from  remonstrance. 

'"Faithfully  and  sincerely  yours,  R.  L.  Dabxev. 

"P,  S. — Dr.  Peck  will  have,  for  April  number,  a  memorial  article  on 
Stuart  Robinson.     Good,  of  course." 

In  1874,  Dr.  Dabney  canvassed  the  matter  of  establishing  a 
Review  in  \'irginia.  He  sought  a  man  of  abiUty  to  edit  and 
publish  the  Review.  He  conferred  with  Mr.  (J.  C.)  Southall  ^^ 
amongst  others,  and  for  a  time  seems  to  have  entertained  the 
hope  of  estabhshing  such  an  organ  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
truth  as  seen  from  the  point  of  view  of  conservatives  in  the 
spheres  of  theology,  mental  and  moral  philosophy,  the  physical 
sciences  and  sociology.  In  1875,  he  made  an  effort  to  purchase, 
or  have  purchased,  from  Dr.  Woodrow.  of  Columbia,  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Rez'iezc.  The  transaction  could  not  be 
effected.  Accordingly,  we  find  him  and  Dr.  Adger  conferring 
as  to  whether  the  Rez-iezi'  cannot  be  removed  to  Richmond. 
Charleston.  S.  C,  or  elsewhere,  and  an  effort  made  to  greatly 
increase  its  circulation.  It  seems  probable  that  he  and  Dr. 
Adger  would  have  attempted  a  much  more  elaborate  Reziezi.',  if 

"  Dr.  Dabney,  in  a  letter  in  which  he  alludes  to  a  conversation  with 
''Mr.  Southall"  about  the  matter,  does  not  give  the  initials;  but  it  may 
be  safely  inferred  that  Mr.  J.  C.  Southall  was  the  man. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  ix  Union  Seminary.     405 

they  could  have  found  a  suitable  business  editor,  who  would 
have  embarked  in  the  enterprise  with  the  necessary  capital  and 
push. 

The  reader  has  remarked  often  already  the  universality  of 
Dr.  Dabney's  interests.  His  letters  on  matters  of  business  are 
variegated  with  frequent  comments  on  current  history.  For 
instance,  we  read  in  his  letter  to  Dr.  Adger,  November  7,  1876: 

"We  have  all  noted,  with  great  sympathy  and  indignation,  the  inva- 
sion of  your  State.  It  is  a  burning  wrong.  Retribution  will  surely  come 
in  due  time,  and  in  fearful  form.  I  fear  we  may  all  have  to  suffer  much 
before  the  deliverance  comes.  This  has  been  an  important  day.  The 
election  has,  I  hope,  passed  off  quietly.  By  to-morrow  we  shall  begin 
to  know  something  of  the  returns.     I  have  no  sanguine  hopes." 

The  following  letter  from  his  friend,  Mr.  Xiven,  of  New 
York,  shows  that  Dabney  had  been  doing  some  vigorous  paint- 
ing of  the  political  conditions,  and  that  he.  perhaps,  had  pene- 
trated deeper  into  the  real  situation  than  his  correspondent : 

"Xew  York,  December  18,  1876. 
"Rez:  Dr.  Dabney. 

"My  Dear  Friexd  :  Yours  of  the  12th  instant  has  been  before  me 
for  several  days,  as  I  wanted  time  to  think  over  its  contents.  I  sent  you 
two  daily  papers  to  show  the  public  pulse  on  the  subjects  }"0U  speak  of, 
as  looked  at  here.  My  feelings  were  very  akin  to  yours  when  these 
thimble-riggers  began  to  show  their  game.  But  I  am  now  disposed  to 
be  more  patient,  as  impetuositj*  on  our  part  is  evidently  what  the  Radi- 
cals desire.  I  had  a  letter  from  a  prominent  member  of  Congress  from 
this  State  a  few  days  ago,  assuring  me  that  the  Democrats  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  are  a  unit  and  understand  their  position.  Their 
watch-word,  'Prudent  but  firm,'  asking  nothing  wrong,  and  submitting 
to  nothing  but  right.  Their  committees  are  at  work,  and  their  reports 
will  be  the  entrenchments  from  which  they  propose  to  fight,  and  in  such 
a  way  as  to  carrv'  the  popular  verdict  with  them.  I  think  we  may  trust 
them.  Wade  Hampton's  course  in  South  Carolina  gives  the  key-note 
to  the  contest,  and  is  receiving  and  is  worthy  of  all  commendation.  If 
the  rascals  could  provoke  an  armed  outbreak,  they  would  be  delighted. 

"I  think  you  misjudge  Tilden.  He  never  was  a  war  Democrat,  albeit 
his  friends  had  to  handle  that  subject  verj-  gingerly  during  the  cam- 
paign. The  Republican  papers  openly  and  continuously  charged  him  with 
his  anti-war  proclivities,  and  tried  hard  to  hurt  him  in  the  canvass. 
In  the  condition  of  the  Northern  sentiment,  this  matter  had  to  be 
blinked  as  best  they  could.  But  I  know  from  personal  converse  with 
the  man  that  he  was  anti-war  and  pro-slavery.    It  was  the  second  year 


;4o6         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

■of  the  war,  I  think,  that  I  had  occasion  to  spend  several  hours  at  his 
private  rooms  in  reference  to  some  legal  advice.  After  that  was  over, 
he  said,  'I  want  to  talk  with  you  about  the  past  and  present  of. the 
country.  I  followed,'  he  said,  'Van  Buren's  lead  as  to  his  "free  soil" 
notions.  You  remained  an  Old  Hunker.  In  looking  back,  I  see  clearly 
that  you  were  right  and  we  were  wrong.  We  followed  Van  Buren 
into  a  heresy  to  avenge  what  he  thought  a  personal  wrong,  and  that 
miserable  movement  was  the  first  step  towards  this  dreadful  civil  war.' 
And  then  going  to  his  book-case,  he  brought  out  several  volumes  and 
laid  them  on  the  table.  Said  he,  'This  wretched  business  has  set  me 
to  investigating  the  negro.  I  believe  I  have  done  it  thoroughly,  as  far 
as  books  can  give  me  light,  and  I  am  free  to  say  that  the  negro  is  not, 
and  never  was,  fit  for  any  place  but  such  as  he  occupied  in  servitude.' 
He  did  not  take  any  active  part  in  politics  during  the  war,  seeing  how 
hopeless  it  was,  and  just  turned  aside  to  his  legal  profession,  where 
all  his  time  and  labor  were  required.  He  is  cool,  careful  and  prudent, 
but  firm  and  determined,  and,  I  think,  just  the  man  for  the  times.  But, 
then,  the  question  will  obtrude  itself  to  my  mind.  What  are  God's  inten- 
tions in  all  this?  Have  we  not  run  the  race  of  all  republics?  Is  not 
history  repeating  itself?  Starting  in  life  poor,  frugal  and  reasonably 
virtuous,  we  have  become  rich,  luxurious,  unprincipled,  infidel.  And 
God's  judgments  have  come  down  upon  us.  The  young  giant  of  1776 
is  dying  of  decrepitude,  decay  and  self-abuse  in  1876.  God's  judgments 
are  right.  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die.  And  the  nation  or  people 
that  sin  so  flagrantly,  and  against  so  much  light,  must  die. 

"Yours  truly,  T.  M.  Niven. 

"P.  S. — I  have  covered  but  small  part  of  your  thoughts,  but  must 
renew  my  effort  to  examine  your  views  in  the  future." 

On  Febrtiary  ii,  1877,  he  writes  to  his  friend  Lane  in 
Brazil : 

"Our  people  are  just  now  profoundly  discouraged  about  politics.  Mr. 
Tilden  was  undoubtedly  elected  by  a  popular  majority  of  240,000  and 
an  electoral  majority  of  ten.  You  have  seen  by  the  papers  the  rascalities 
of  the  scalawag  returning-boards,  in  South  Carolina,  Louisiana  and 
Florida.  After  these  flagrant  villainies  were  proved,  our  leaders  in 
Washington  were  weak  enough  to  surrender  the  power  of  Congress  over 
the  question,  and  go  mto  a  sort  of  compromise,  referring  all  the  count 
to  a  court  of  fifteen  referees,  in  which  five  Supreme  Court  judges  had 
the  real  casting  vote.  It  has  proved  a  regular  'sell.'  They  are  obviously 
going  to  cheat  the  man  in  who  was  not  elected." 

Scanning  narrowly  the  political  movements  of  the  country, 
iie  pondered  the  whole  life  of  his  chttrch  still  more  intently. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  SemiNx\ry.     407 

His  letters  are  full  of  criticism  of  the  current  ecclesiastical 
movements.  For  instance,  we  have,  under  date  of  March  2, 
1 88 1,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Hopkins,  of  Charleston, 
W.  Va.,  a  half  dozen  suggested  reforms  and  retrenchments  in 
the  matter  of  the  conduct  of  the  church's  causes.  He  argued 
that  the  Tuscaloosa  Institute  for  blacks  ought  never  to  have 
been  started ;  that  the  Assembly  ought  immediately  to  disen- 
cumber itself  of  the  relief  fund ;  that  not  a  dollar  ought  to  be 
spent  on  a  secretary  of  education,  but  that  scholarships  in  the 
seminaries  ought  to  be  founded  and  in  sufficient  numbers  in- 
stead ;  that  the  publication  mill  was  too  big  for  the  grist,  and  so 
forth.     He  says,  further: 

"I  do  not  think  Dr.  Leighton  Wilson  ought  to  be  touched,  as  long 
as  he  has  faculties  to  work.  He  is  always  worth  his  salary.  But  when 
he  retires,  one  able  and  well-salaried  secretary  (say  Dr.  Mcllwaine) 
ought  to  direct  both  branches  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions.  Do  not 
make  him  treasurer.  I  believe  fully  in  Dr.  Girardeau's  conclusions. 
The  treasurer  ought  to  be  a  suitable  deacon,  and  relieve  the  secretary 
of  all  money-keeping  and  money-paying  duties  (not  of  all  money- 
seeking,  for  the  appeals  for  money  to  the  churches  would  have  to 
emanate  from  the  secretary).  Then  I  would  give  the  secretary  enough 
clerical  help,  and  mostly  women  clerks.  This  secretary  should  edit  the 
executive  journal  (Foreign  and  Domestic  Missionary,  etc.,  whose 
columns  should  present  all  the  interests  of  all  the  five  causes),  and  the 
agent  of  publication  should  have  it  printed  by  contract  and  circu- 
late it." " 

He  declares  that  twelve  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  are 
too  much  to  spend  for  administering  a  total  of  eighty-eight 
thousand  dollars ;  that  such  an  administration  is  not  marked  by 
good  economy. 

But  not  only  does  the  work  of  the  church  in  its  greater 
aspects  rivet  his  attention,  but  an  Assembly's  failure  to  give  an 

"  The  matter  of  retrenchment  and  reform  came  up  through  an  over- 
ture to  the  Assembly  of  1879.  That  body  appointed  an  ad  interim 
committee  to  report  on  the  subject  to  the  next  Assembly.  There  were 
brought  to  that  Assembly  a  majority  and  a  minority  report;  much  dis- 
cussion ensued.  The  Assembly  sent  abstracts  of  the  two  reports  to  each 
minister  and  session  of  the  church.  The  matter  was  before  the  Assem- 
bly of  1881,  was  again  debated,  and  the  five  executive  committees  con- 
tinued as  they  were.  Dr.  Dabney  reviewed,  in  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Review,  this  Assembly  The  article  may  now  be  found  in  his 
Discussions,  Vol.  H.,  pp.  61-81. 


4o8         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

in  thesi  deliverance  against  current  sins,  and  the  consequent 
relaxation  of  sessions. 

His  interests  were  individual  and  particular,  as  well  as  gen- 
eral. There  are  not  a  few  letters  of  this  period  whose  aim  was 
to  stir  up  some  congregation  or  benevolent  Christian  to  the 
helping  of  a  poor,  but  excellent  youth  through  College  or  the 
Seminary. 

Naturally,  he  was  consulted  about  many  movements  and 
questions  during  this  decade  of  his  labors  in  Union  Theological 
Seminary.  He  received  his  share  of  requests  for  advice  touch- 
ing men  for  pastors,  for  the  churches  had  their  difficulties  then, 
too,  about  getting  pastors  to  suit.  He  is  consulted  about  how 
to  treat  young  converts,  about  the  relation  of  scriptural  know- 
ledge to  salvation,  about  the  several  kinds  of  labors  which 
missionaries  should  attempt,  about  the  best  way  to  raise  money 
for  missions,  about  accepting  calls  to  churches,  about  interpre- 
tation of  certain  Bible  phrases,  and  so  forth.  In  response  to 
many  of  these  letters  of  inquiry  he  wrote  at  length,  and  often 
put  forth  thoughts  of  vast  value.  Thus  he  wrote,  in  reply  to  his 
friend  Lane,  at  Campinas,  in  Brazil,  who  had  been  advising 
with  him  as  to  whether  a  special  effort  to  raise  money  for  the 
Campinas  College  could  not  be  made,  deprecating  the  fact  that 
the  committee  at  the  time  did  not  approve  of  local  effort  to 
support  individual  missionaries.     He  says,  December  i8,  1878: 

"By  choking  off  this  local  special  effort,  they  only  reach  this  result, 
that  the  committee  has  no  adequate  power  to  stir  the  zeal  of  the  whole 
church,  and  they  forbid  other  people  to  help  them  locally  to  do  it.  So 
that  it  is  not  stirred  at  all.  The  yellow  fever  contributions  are  going 
to  be  felt  this  year  in  our  church  contributions ;  but  another  thing  which 
is  felt  a  hundred  times  as  much  is  luxury  and  worldly  conformity.  The 
theory  of  our  preachers  is  heretical  about  the  principle  on  which  rich 
people  spend  money.  I  preach  what  I  know  is  the  truth,  and  am  only 
laughed  at  by  people  and  preachers.  The  fact  is  that  instead  of  telling 
rich  Christians  that  it  is  a  sin  to  use  God's  money  in  superfluous  luxu- 
ries of  dwellings,  equipage,  furniture,  dress,  diet,  when  God's  cause  is 
languishing,  the  preachers  like  to  see  all  the  pomps,  so  that  they  may 
'go  snacks'  in  the  luxurious  indulgences." 

Here  he  would  seem  to  have  had  the  plans  for  giving  to  the 
people  of  our  churches  a  heart  interest  in  missions,  which  are 
l3eing  pursued  now.  He  would  have  stirred  individual  churches 
and  groups  of  churches  to  the  support  of  a  given  missionary  or 
mission. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     409 

To  the  Rev.  G.  B.  Strickler,  pondering  whether  he  should  go 
to  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1880,  he  wrote: 

"October  29,  1880. 

"Dear  Brother  Strickler:  I  should  grieve  with  the  Tinkling  Spring 
people  much  at  their  bereavement  should  you  go  to  Louisville;  but  I 
fully  recognize  the  fact  that  the  wants  of  the  church  must,  almost  inevi- 
tably, call  for  your  removal  some  day  to  a  wider  and  more  laborious 
field.  You  will  remember  the  views  I  expressed  to  you.  in  connection 
with  your  call  to  Charlottesville;  that  the  above  fact  would  have  to  be 
recognized  some  day,  but  that  Charlottesville  did  not  present  a  field 
superior  to  Tinkling  Spring  so  as  to  justify  that  removal;  and  I  pre- 
dicted that  in  due  time  the  door  would  open  to  a  field  of  sufficient 
importance. 

"You  will  say,  then :  'Well,  the  foreseen  conditions  of  removal  exist 
in  the  Louisville  Church  (preeminent  importance  of  the  charge,  liberal 
support,  field  abundantly  wide  for  your  energies,  etc.,  etc.).  So  Dr. 
Dabney  implies  that  the  time  has  come  for  me  to  make  the  one  removal 
he  foreshadowed  as  desirable  in  my  case.' 

"I  reply,  probably. 

"But  before  you  decide  on  removal,  I  would  advise  you  to  weigh 
these  points.  The  house  in  Louisville,  I  understand,  is  very  big,  and 
has  bad  acoustic  properties.  It  may  be  that  this  will  cause  you  to  regret 
the  undertaking  after  you  remove.  Similar  is  the  house  of  the  First 
Church,  Nashville.  Dr.  Moore  told  his  people  there  on  his  death-bed 
that  this  house  killed  him ;  but  you  have  no  pulmonary  tendencies,  and 
have  a  strong  voice.    I  only  advise  you  to  look  into  that  thing. 

"Second.  Louisville  is  not  a  healthy  city.  The  suburbs  are  agucish, 
and  the  air  of  the  centre  sultry.  The  streets  are  paved  with  a  soft 
limestone,  which  makes  a  bad  dust.  I  hope  your  health  has  become 
entirely  robust ;  but  if  your  liver  is  still  'touchy'  you  had  best  look 
before  you  leap. 

"Should  these  points,  on  intelligent  inspection,  cause  serious  doubts 
as  to  the  success  and  prosperity  of  the  change,  then  it  becomes  a  point 
worth  weighing,  whether  the  unity  and  afifection  of  your  present  charge 
is  not  more  valuable,  for  the  time,  than  this  brilliant,  but  'risquey' 
enterprise. 

"Third.  I  would  advise,  as  in  all  other  cases,  that  you  look  before 
you  leap,  as  to  the  question  of  acceptance.  I  think  it  is  much  better  that 
this  question  of  acceptance  (not  only  whether  you  'strike  the  fancy'  of 
that  particular  people,  but  also  whether  they  are  going  to  strike  your 
fancy)  be  tested  by  yourself,  before  you  finally  decide. 

"Hence,  on  the  whole,  my  advice  would  be,  to  by  no  means  reject  the 
overture  summarily;  but  to  so  respond  as  to  secure  the  opportunity  to 
visit  and  inspect  the  field,  and  to  preach  for  the  people  frequently 
enough  to  test  your  adaptation  to  them,  and  theirs  for  you.  I.  for  one, 
have  no  doubt  of  your  ability,  experience  and  attractiveness  to  secure 


410         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

the  solid  favor  and  confidence  of  that,  or  any  other  field.  Certainly,  if 
you  give  them  the  opportunity  to  know  you,  and  they  refuse  it,  I  shall 
think  them  very  silly;  but  it  is  best  that  these  matters  be  not  taken  for 
granted. 

"I  should  wish,  as  your  brother  and  friend,  that  if  you  make  this 
move,  you  do  it  with  the  full  expectation  of  making  the  pastorship  of 
the  Second  Church  of  Louisville  your  final  and  life-work.  Hence,  the 
move  ought  to  be  made  on  mature,  satisfactory,  and  very  serious 
grounds. 

"Remember  us  very  affectionately  to  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Guthrie  and  your 
good  lady.  Yours  faithfully,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

Notwithstanding  it  is  clear  that  Dr.  Dabney  was  consuhed 
in  these  years  by  many,  and  thus  received  just  honor,  he  yet 
felt  that  ht  was  in  isolation ;  that  in  many  matters  on  which 
he  should  have  been  consulted,  and  concerning  which  his  ser- 
vices should  have  been  called  into  requisition,  he  was  ignored. 

He  expresses  this  conviction  as  to  his  isolation  frequently  in 
this  period,  and  it  is  a  fact  that  he  had  come  to  be  looked  upon 
as  extreme.  He  never  yielded,  either  in  his  convictions  or  in 
the  expression  of  his  convictions,  to  mere  circumstances.  He 
was  absolutely  loyal  to  the  principles  which  he  held  as  a  result 
of  convictions.  It  was,  therefore,  inevitable  that  he  should  be 
misunderstood  and  depreciated  in  the  transition,  accommoda- 
tion, period  following  on  1865. 

He  was  happy,  however,  in  the  affection  of  some  of  the  most 
devoted  of  friends,  and  in  the  place  which  he  held  in  his  own 
home.  His  devoted  wife  gave  him  a  fulness  of  affection  which 
few  men  could  inspire  in  any  woman,  and  few  women  could 
feel.  To  her  huge  and  loving  admiration  it  was  owing  that  he 
was  not  soured  in  temper  by  his  relative  isolation.  Her  affec- 
tion for  him  was  a  great  cure-all  for  every  wound,  an  invigor- 
ating tonic,  a  health-giving  food.  He  had  three  sons,  loyal  and 
affectionate  fellows,  full  already  of  promise,  in  whom  he  took 
vast  pleasure.  He  appeared  stern  to  them,  at  the  time,  but  he 
was  very  proud  of  them.  He  said  often  that  the  two  brightest 
of  his  children  had  died  very  young,  but  he  writes  to  Mrs.  Dab- 
ney, on  one  of  his  tours,  that  he  had  seen  no  such  fine-looking 
fellows  anywhere  as  their  children,  and  his  letters  to  his  inti- 
mate friends  are  so  full  of  references  to  his  boys  that  one  could 
easily  prepare  from  them  alone  considerable  sketches  of  the 
boyhood  of  each  of  them.  He  was  happy  also  in  the  aff'ection 
of  his  other  sons — his  students — most  of  whom  both  revered 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary,     411 

and  loved  him.    Why  should  they  not  love  him?    One  of  them 
writes: 

'"In  the  class-room  he  was  as  gentle  as  a  woman,  as  considerate  as  a 
loving  friend.  In  his  home,  to  us  students,  he  was  the  charming  host, 
where  the  difference  between  student  and  professor  faded  away,  and  we 
were  lifted  into  the  place  of  his  guests,  and  treated  with  the  same  courtly 
consideration  with  which  he  would  have  treated  eminent  members  of  the 
pulpit  or  bar."  '° 

Throughout  his  professional  life,  at  Hampden-Sidney,  Dr. 
Dabney's  plan  for  cultivating  the  social  acquaintance  of  the 
students  was  to  invite  them,  a  few  at  a  time,  to  take  tea  with 
his  family.  On  such  occasions  he  and  his  excellent  wife  were 
very  genial,  put  their  guests  at  their  ease,  and  contrived  to  make 
them  spend  "delightful  and  profitable  evenings." 

Dr.  Hopkins  says : 

"They  taught  us  that  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dabney  were  friends  on  whose 
sympathy  and  counsel  we  could  depend.  There  was,  however,  one  draw- 
back to  the  pleasure  of  some  of  these  evenings.  The  Doctor's  thirst 
for  knowledge  was  so  keen  that  he  would  fire  question  after  question 
at  young  men  who  came  from  parts  of  the  country  with  which  he  was 
not  familiar,  till  he  pumped  from  the  student  all  the  knowledge  he  had, 
or  made  him  confess  his  want  of  observation.  'What  sort  of  soil,  red 
or  gray;  water-courses  and  supply;  crops,  acreage  of  such,  and  quan- 
tity produced.'  In  the  end,  however,  he  generally  gave  more  informa- 
tion than  he  got." 

This  picture  which  Dr.  Hopkins  gives  us,  true  of  his  sttident 
days,  w'hich  were  just  prior  to  the  war,  was  repeated  throughout 
Dr.  Dabney's  connection  with  Union  Seminary.  He  was 
usually  thoroughly  happy  in  his  relations  with  his  students. 
Not  only  so;  he  had  many  singularly  attached  neighbors. 
They  came  to  him  specially  when  in  trouble,  old  and  young, 
men  and  women.  He  had  been  pastor  there  for  years,  he  had 
been  with  them  in  trial,  he  had  always  been  a  man,  sincere, 
earnest,  iiifejise  and  strong — ]io  sham — a  man.  They  laughed 
at  his  peculiarities,  but  in  the  day  of  trouble  ran  to  him,  as  to 
a  strong  tower.  A  girl  of  the  neighborhood — she  may  be  a 
professor's  daughter — has  a  love  affair.     She  does  not  know 

■"  Dr.  W.  C.  Campbell,  of  Roanoke,  Va.,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Charles 
W.  Dabney,  dated  February  20,  1901,  Dr.  Campbell  was  a  student  in 
the  Seminary,  i876-'7g. 


412         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"what  to  do."  Behold  her  walking  on  the  Via  Sacra  with 
Dr.  Dabney.  She  has  caught  him  as  he  was  returning  from 
class.  She  is  telling  the  whole  story.  The  tears  are  running 
down  her  cheeks.  She  is  not  ready  to  marry ;  "he  says  I  have 
given  him  encouragement."  Dr.  Dabney  thinks  so  too.  He 
says  so ;  but  he  takes  a  wise,  broad  and  just  view  of  the  whole 
situation,  having  probed  the  girl's  very  heart  meanwhile ;  and 
gives  her  kind  and  wholesome  advice.  She  goes  away,  the 
fog  gone  from  her  mind.  She  has  received  a  moral  tonic.  She 
is  going  to  be  true  to  the  best  that  is  in  her.  He  proceeds  to  his 
study,  and  to  grim  battle  there  with  the  infidel,  the  agnostic. 
Isolation  or  no  isolation,  the  man  is  happy  who  serves,  as 
Dr.  Dabney,  his  community,  the  church,  and  the  state,  in  this 
period. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

LAST  STADIUM  OF  HIS  COURSE  IN  UNION  SEMINARY. 

{Continued.) 

(1874 -1883). 

Trip  to  Europe. — Correspondence. — Declining  Health. — Election  to 
THE  Chair  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  the  University 
of  Texas. — Widespread  regret  at  the  Severance  of  his  Relations 
with  the  Seminary. — He  leaves  Hampden-Sidney  and  Virginia 
for  Texas. 

HIS  eldest  living  son,  Charles  William  Dabney,  now  Presi- 
dent Charles  W.  Dabney,  of  the  University  of  Tennessee, 
finished  his  scientific  course  at  the  University  of  Virginia 
during  1877.  He  was  soon  elected  Professor  of  Chemistry  and 
Geology  in  Emory  and  Henry  College,  and  served  there  one 
year.  He  then  became  desirous  of  continuing  his  studies  in 
Europe.  The  mother  interceded  for  the  son.  The  father  told 
him  that  he  had  spent  as  much  upon  his  education  as  justice 
to  his  other  sons  would  allow,  having  carried  him  four  years  at 
Hampden-Sidney  and  three  very  expensive  years  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia ;  but  he  offered  to  raise  the  money  for  him, 
provided  he  were  willing  to  receive  it  as  an  advance  upon 
his  patrimony,  and  thus  be  spending  his  own  money.  The  son 
consented,  and  so  went,  in  August,  1878,  to  the  University  of 
Goettingen.  There  he  studied  two  years,  working  chiefly  upon 
chemistry  and  mineralogy,  and,  in  August,  1880,  took  his 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  While  thus  engaged,  Charles 
W.  Dabney  urged  his  father  to  take  a  European  tour.  Accord- 
ingly, Dr.  Dabney,  in  the  sixty-first  year  of  his  age,  spent  the 
months  of  May  to  October,  inclusive,  1880.  in  seeing  somewhat 
of  Europe.  He  went  and  returned  by  the  Anchor  Line  of 
ocean  steamers,  plying  between  New  York  and  Glasgow.  His 
itinerary  gave  him  two  days  in  Glasgow,  and  thence  carried  him 
to  Edinburgh,  w^iere  the  two  General  Assemblies  were  just 
closing;  then  to  Liverpool,  by  way  of  Abbotsford,  Carlisle, 
West  "Yorkshire  and  Lancaster.    At  Liverpool  he  spent  a  few 


414         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

days,  having  his  first  sciatica,  and  renewing  his  acquaintance 
with  his  cousin,  Mr.  Overton  M.  Price.  Thence  he  passed  to 
queer  old  Chester,  for  a  day ;  thence  to  Leamington,  in  War- 
wickshire, and  Stratford-upon-Avon,  for  four  or  five  days ; 
and  thence  to  London.  In  London  he  stayed  for  about  three 
weeks,  hving  at  boarding-houses  in  the  Strand,  Cecil  and  York 
streets,  looking  after  the  sights  and  buildings,  amongst  others 
the  House  of  Commons.  He  was  too  solitary  to  enjoy  this 
stay.  The  few  gentlemen  to  whom  he  had  letters  of  introduc- 
tion were  out  of  town,  and  he  missed  American  friends  in 
London  at  the  same  time.  Professor  Basil  L.  Gildersleeve 
and  Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge  were  both  in  London,  Dr.  Gildersleeve 
a  guest  of  the  Athenfeum  Club ;  but  Dr.  Dabney  knew  nothing 
of  it  until  too  late.  He  has  said  of  this  part  of  his  tour,  as  of 
most  of  the  rest,  that  it  gave  little  enjoyment  at  the  time;  it 
was  too  lonely ;  but  that  he  felt  then  that  he  could  say,  "Haec 
olim  meminisse  jnvahit."  "I  gathered,  usually  amidst  languor 
and  weariness,  a  multitude  of  new  impressions  and  pictures 
which  have  been  useful  and  pleasant  to  me  since.  My  experi- 
ence is,  that  touring  alone  is  a  sorry  business."  After  about 
three  weeks  in  London,  he  went,  by  way  of  Harwich,  to  Ant- 
werp, where  he  spent  a  day,  thence  to  Brussels,  Aix-la-Chap- 
pelle,  Cologne,  Bonn.  At  Bonn  he  spent  the  Sabbath,  solitary, 
in  ignorance  that  young  Francis  P.  Venable,  now  President 
Venable  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  was  there,  and 
would  have  made  his  stay  pleasant.  On  Monday,  he  went  up 
the  Rhine  by  steamer  as  far  as  Mayence,  and  by  rail  to 
Frankfort-on-the-Main ;  on  Tuesday  to  old  Cassel,  and  so 
to  Goettingen,  where  Charles  met  him  and  took  him  to  his 
lodgings. 

He  stayed  with  his  son  about  a  fortnight ;  but  found  him 
very  busy  studying  for  his  final  examinations.  So  he  concluded 
to  put  in  the  interval  making  a  German  tour  alone.  He  went, 
by  way  of  Magdeburg,  to  Berlin,  where  he  stayed  about  ten 
days ;  thence  to  Dresden  to  see  the  famous  works  of  art  there, 
to  Leipsic,  to  Weimar,  to  Erfurt,  to  Eisenach,  and,  at  length, 
to  the  Liebenstein  Springs.  He  had  spent  above  a  week  in 
Leipsic,  and  more  time  was  consumed  at  Liebenstein,  studying 
as  he  was  able,  not  only  works  of  art  and  monuments  of  the 
past,  but  the  conditions  of  current  German  life.  Thence  he 
went  to  Cassel  to  see  the  palace  and  pictures,  and  back  once 
more,  on  August  6th,  to  Goettingen,  to  see  his  son  win  his 


I 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     415 

spurs,  or  comfort  him  if  he  failed.  A  few  days  later  the  young 
man  had  packed  ofif  his  heavier  belongings  to  America,  and 
the  two  Drs.  Dabney,  father  and  son,  started  South  to  Wurtz- 
burg  and  to  Ratisbon,  on  the  Danube,  where  they  viewed  old 
Ludwig's  Walhalla.  Thence  they  went  to  Munich  for  several 
days'  sojourn.  Thence  to  Lake  Constance  and  down  the  Rhine 
to  Schafifhausen.  Then  they  went  to  Zurich,  ascended  the 
Rhigi,  went  to  Lucerne.  There  they  parted  for  a  little.  Dr. 
Charles  making  a  pedestrian  tour  across  the  Alps  to  Inter- 
lachen  and  the  Bernese  Oberland  and  on  to  Geneva.  Dr.  Dab- 
ney took  diligence  from  Altorf  ("Tell's  Place")  up  the  Reuss, 
across  the  St.  Gothard  Pass  and  down  to  Locarno,  on  Lago 
jMaggiore.  There  he  spent  a  "silent  Sabbath  amidst  the 
papists."  Thence  he  proceeded  by  steamer  and  rail  into  the 
plain  of  Lombardy,  where  the  "Indian  corn  and  everything 
reminded  him  of  Eastern  Virginia,"  the  crap  grass  suggesting 
the  Chickahominy  flats  near  Richmond.  He  spent  four  days 
very  pleasantly  in  Milan,  being  the  guest  of  Rev.  David  Turino, 
the  Waldensian  pastor,  and  his  English  wife.  Thence  he  re- 
turned to  Geneva  by  rail,  going  by  way  of  Turin,  the  Mt.  Cenis 
tunnel,  Aix-les-bains  and  the  Rhone  Valley.  Rejoining  his  son 
at  that  point,  they  made  a  trip  to  Chamounix  to  see  Mt.  Blanc. 
Thence  they  went  to  Paris,  where  they  stayed  ten  days ;  thence 
to  London  for  another  ten  days ;  then  by  way  of  Windsor 
Castle,  Eton  School,  to  Oxford ;  thence  back  to  Edinburgh,  to 
Glasgow,  and  the  steamer  which  brought  them  safely  home. 

Dr.  Dabney  was  always  remarkable  for  observation.  He 
noted  the  topography  of  the  countries  through  which  he  passed, 
the  native  growths,  the  crops  produced,  the  manufactures,  the 
climatic  conditions,  the  customs  of  the  people  of  all  classes, 
so  far  as  he  had  the  opportunity  to  remark  them,  the  pecu- 
liarities of  manner,  and  particularly  the  social,  political  and 
religious  conditions.  Of  all  these  things  he  wrote.  He  kept 
no  journal,  but  wrote  for  the  religious  papers  at  home  on  the 
religious  and  sociological  conditions  of  the  countries  he  visited, 
a  dozen  long  articles,  and  poured  himself  out  on  a  vast  variety 
of  topics,  large  and  small,  to  his  wife,  his  brother  William,  and 
others.  His  letters  do  not  show  that  he  had  completely  com- 
prehended everything  on  which  his  inquisitive  eyes  had  fallen ; 
but  there  is  not  a  dull,  a  stupid,  nor  an  uninforming  letter 
amongst  them.  A  few  extracts  from  his  letters  will  best  show 
with  what  eyes  he  looked  upon  things. 


4i6         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  1880,  he  wrote  from  the  Waverly  Hotel, 
Edinburgh,  to  Mrs.  Dabney : 

"Yesterday,  after  I  wrote  to  you,  I  went  out  with  my  old  friend,  Mr. 
Peterkin,  and  Major  Robertson,  and  bought  myself  a  nice  black  overcoat, 
a  sack,  with  a  little  slit  in  the  tail,  a  new  shiny  stove-pipe  hat,  a  silk 
umbrella  (these  things  being  the  signatures  of  a  gentleman  in  this  con- 
ventional country),  a  nice  pair  of  gloves.  .  .  .  My  overcoat  cost  me 
ten  dollars.  It  is  a  'real  elegant'  overcoat,  of  smooth,  soft,  black,  ribbed 
cloth,  a  little  like  what  they  call  'diagonal  cloth,'  but  softer.  Prices  here 
are  very  queer  things.  Black  cashmere  and  broadcloth  clothes  are  sur- 
prisingly cheap.  .  .  .  Underwear  is  fully  as  dear  as  in  our  country. 
So  the  silk  hat.  The  gloves,  nicest  kind,  were  three  shillings,  about 
seventy-five  cents.    .    .     . 

"Having  some  leisure  this  morning,  I  went  to  the  Free  Church 
Assembly  Hall  about  eleven  o'clock.  It  is  the  queerest,  lowest,  ugliest, 
most  barn-like  afifair  you  ever  saw,  outside.  I  could  not  get  in.  All  the 
doors  were  jealously  guarded  by  beadles  or  police.  They  said  that  no 
one  could  go  in  without  a  sixpence  ticket,  and  that  it  was  no  use  for  me 
to  get  a  ticket,  because  there  was  not  an  inch  of  room.  The  Assembly 
was  hearing  an  appeal  about  the  heresy  of  Prof.  Robertson  Smith,  and 
all  the  world  and  his  cousins  were  agog  to  hear.  I  asked  the  men  if  this 
selling  tickets  was  a  new  thing  only  taken  up  because  of  this  excitement? 
They  said.  No;  it  was  always  so.  This  is  queer,  isn't  it?  I  sent  out 
this  afternoon  to  buy  me  a  ticket  for  to-morrow;  but  the  sexton  said 
all  were  sold  already.  This  morning  I  went  into  the  Established 
Church  Assembly,  sitting  in  the  cathedral  just  opposite — no  fee  there — 
and  got  a  seat  in  the  gallery.  There  was  a  prosy  debate  about  missions 
in  Hindoostan,  home  missions  in  the  Highlands,  etc.  There  was  only 
one  tolerable  speech,  the  rest  miserable,  and  mostly  inaudible.  Plenty  of 
black  surplices ;  the  Moderator  in  a  gown  and  bands,  with  a  'staked  and 
ridered'  shirt  (ruffled),  lace  ruffles  at  his  wrists  and  a  purple  scarf 
across  his  neck  and  shoulders.  He  sat  on  a  low  platform,  under  the 
pulpit ;  but  in  the  pulpit,  over  his  head,  under  a  richly  carved  sounding- 
board,  was  the  sight  of  sights.  The  Queen's  Lord  High  Commissioner. 
in  his  uniform  and  ribands,  with  the  mace,  the  emblem  of  her  Majesty's 
presence  and  power  (a  round  pole,  with  a  gilded  and  carved  cone  on 
top,  about  as  big  as  a  very  large  pineapple).  The  mace-bearer,  a  red- 
faced  fellow,  in  gorgeous  military  uniform,  and  three  pages,  thusly : 
Grey  flaxen  wigs  curled  tight  all  over  their  heads,  silk  cocked  hats, 
white  and  blue,  with  feathers  in  their  hands,  scarlet  coats,  white  knee 
breeches,  silk  stockings,  etc.  They  looked  like  little  women.  Strange 
that  grown  men  can  take  pleasure  in  such  things !" 

From  Edinburgh  he  wrote  two  very  interesting  letters  to 
the  Christian  Observer,  on  the  Scottish  Assemblies.    The  Free 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     417 

Church  Assembly  of  that  year  was  one  of  unusual  interest. 
The  case  of  Prof.  W.  Robertson  Smith  was  before  the  Assem- 
bly for  the  first  time,  on  appeal.  The  action  of  the  Assembly 
on  that  occasion  was  weak.  It  admonished  Professor  Smith 
"for  imprudence  and  lack  of  clearness  in  his  utterances" ;  but 
left  him  in  his  chair.  "Nor  did  Professor  Smith's  response 
really  confess,  or  promise  anything  to  reassure  the  orthodox. 
He  confessed  very  frankly  that  he  had  not  been  perspicuous; 
he  promised  that  in  future  he  would  be  perspicuous.  Whether 
the  promise  means  that  he  will  now  assert  his  error  more 
perspicuously,  we  are  not  informed."  Thus  wrote  Dr.  Dabney. 
He  had  already  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  situation. 

From  Leamington,  in  early  June  of  1880,  we  have  his  im- 
pressions of  English  vegetation  from  trees  to  grass  and  flowers. 
Nowhere  does  he  find  the  rich  green.  "It  all  looks  to  me  like 
a  potato  sucker,"  he  says,  "growing  in  a  shady  cellar.  The  sun 
has  not  shined  here  one  hour  out  of  nve."  Of  the  houses 
of  the  region  he  says,  "Most  English  country  houses  are  ugly. 
The  regular  farm-houses  still  joining  the  manure  yards,  as  in 
Yorkshire.  The  gentlemen's  houses,  of  more  pretensions, 
usually  having  a  pretty  grove  beside  (not  around)  them.  They 
want  all  the  sun  they  can  get.  But  the  houses  are  as  graceless, 
the  meanest  red  brick,  as  Reid's  old  factory  in  Farmville.  But 
everything  is  overdone  with  peaked  roofs  and  square  win- 
dows." 

Of  the  great  mining  region  he  wrote: 

"Yesterday,  between  Wolverhampton  and  Birmingham,  the  railroad 
passed  through  a  part  of  the  'black  country.'  This  is  the  country  which 
is  spoiled,  with  iron  and  coal  mines  and  furnaces,  as  a  farming  country. 
It  is  horrid.  All  the  land,  except  here  and  there  a  patch  of  grass,  po- 
tatoes or  oats,  is  covered  with  black  brick  factories,  furnaces,  cottages, 
warehouses,  and  slag.  The  most  of  the  surface  not  covered  with  the 
most  wretched,  grimy  houses,  is  covered  with  hills  of  slag,  and  the 
rubbish  slate,  etc.,  of  coal  mines  beneath.  The  houses  are  black,  the 
waters  are  black,  the  smoke  is  black,  the  hills  are  slate-colored  with 
splotches  of  black.  The  sky  is  slate-colored  with  streaks  of  black. 
Here  live  and  toil  over  two  millions !  Do  you  believe  such  human 
beings  can  be  really  civilized?  They  say  it  is  a  fearfully  rude  population 
— saz'ages  that  wear  breeches,  and  are  forced  to  do  one  sort  of  thing 
rapidly,  in  the  way  of  swinging  a  pick  or  hammer.  How  can  a  man  be 
civilized  who  never  sees  the  sun,  never  has  a  clean  face,  or  especially  a 
woman?  But  on  this  toiling,  imbruted  mass,  rests  England's  power  and 
riches." 

27 


4i8         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

From  London,  Dr.  Dabney  wrote  for  the  Observer  a  letter 
headed  "The  Tabernacle  and  the  Abbey,"  in  which  he  con- 
trasted the  impressions  made  by  Charles  Spurgeon,  in  the  sim- 
ple Puritan  mode  of  worship,  and  in  his  work,  and  the  wor- 
ship of  Westminster  Abbey,  and  its  influence.  It  deserves 
reproduction  in  pamphlet  form.  In  the  Tabernacle  he  saw  "a 
visible,  mighty  energy  for  good."  Of  the  service  in  the  Abbey 
he  writes : 

"So  far  as  the  audible  voice  is  ordained  by  God  as  an  instrument  of 
worship  and  instruction,  this  service  might  have  as  well  been,  like  the 
popish,  in  a  dead  language.  A  few  drew  edification  from  their  psalters. 
A  few  evidently  mistook  the  mere  aesthetic  impression  of  ecclesiastical 
architecture  and  'man-millinery,'  and  the  pealing  echoes  of  harmonic 
sounds  for  spiritual  edification.  To  the  most  it  was  evidently  but  a 
ceremony,  decent  and  dreary;  and  this  is  what  Westminster  Abbey  is 
doing  to  save  souls,  with  her  immense  real  estate,  her  princely  revenues, 
her  battalions  of  deans,  canons,  priests,  deacons,  organists  and  choris- 
ters. The  Sabbath  began  with  me  happily,  cheerfully,  devoutly;  it 
ended  with  a  chill,  like  that  of  the  crypt-corridors,  surrounding  the 
scene  of  the  ghostly  pantomime."  ^ 

To  the  Central  Presbyterian  he  wrote,  soon  after  passing 
from  London  to  Goettingen,  giving  his  impressions  of  London 
and  Great  Britain — a  letter  characterized  by  his  wonderful 
power  of  penetration  into  the  heart  of  things. 

"Is  this  monster  city  to  go  on  until  it  fills  the  whole  Island?  There 
must  inevitably  arise  some  check  from  some  whither.  Now,  let  me  pause 
and  consider  what  will  be  implied  in  the  stricture  of  that  check,  when 
it  begins  to  draw.  What  a  fearful  aggregate  of  human  disappointment, 
misery  and  death  must  result  from  that  depressing  cause,  whatever  it 
is  to  be,  powerful  enough  to  check  the  mighty  tide  of  human  beings 
which  insists  so  obstinately  in  flowing  into  London !  .  .  .  The  city, 
when  it  once  ceases  to  grow  larger,  must  begin  to  grow  smaller.  But 
the  collapse  of  such  a  large  mass  is  terrible  to  imagine.  How  many 
human  hearts  among  the  four  or  five  millions  must  be  crushed  when 
that  collapse  begins ! 

"Indeed,  to  my  mind,  the  continued  happiness  of  Great  Britain,  as  a 
whole,  seems  to  be  in  a  very  critical  condition.  Her  greatness,  popula- 
tion and  wealth  are  out  of  proportion  to  her  area.  Hitherto,  the  free 
institutions,  arts  and  aims  of  Great  Britain  have  made  almost  the  whole 
world  tributary  to  her,  either  by  commerce  or  subjugation.     Hence  has 

'  Christian  Observer,  November  28,  1880. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     419 

resulted  this  most  artificial  structure  of  British  wealth  and  population 
at  home.  It  begins  to  present  the  aspect  of  an  inverted  pyramid,  poised 
hitherto  with  apparent  steadiness  upon  its  apex,  by  the  surprising  skill 
of  its  artificers ;  and  yet,  by  the  very  mass  of  its  body  towering  so 
stupendously  above,  and  swelling  so  rapidly,  suggesting  a  sentiment  of 
terror  at  the  thought  of  the  time  when-  this  unstable  equilibrium  is  to 
end.  If  the  inverted  pyramid  falls,  'great  will  be  the  fall  thereof.' 
Meantime,  many  things  concur  to  foreshadow  the  approaching  end  of 
these  artificial  conditions  of  abnormal  greatness.  France,  Austria,  Ger- 
many, the  United  States,  and  even  Italy  and  Russia,  are  gradually 
learning  from  Britain  the  freedom  and  arts  by  which  they  rival  her 
commercial  ascendency  and  interfere  with  her  dominion  over  trade. 
Her  own  colonies,  growing  too  great  and  too  democratic  to  remain 
dependencies,  are  bound  to  her  by  commercial  ties  looser  and  looser; 
and  even  begin  to  wield  against  the  mother  country  that  protective 
policy  which  she  disclaims  for  herself.  There  is,  then,  the  eating  cancer 
nearer  home  of  Irish  poverty  and  discontent.  The  surely  approaching 
disestablishment  of  the  Anglican  Church,  when  it  comes,  implies  at  once 
virtual  revolution ;  for  with  it  goes  one  of  the  estates  of  the  realm,  the 
Lord's  spiritual.  And  if  the  experience  of  i640-'44  can  teach  anything, 
we  must  conclude  that,  not  many  years  after  the  bishops  leave  the 
House  of  Lords,  that  house  itself  will  be  closed.  The  leaders  of  both 
parties  have  learned  that  fatal  Yankee  secret  of  endeavoring  to  manu- 
facture more  support  for  themselves  among  the  voters,  by  extending 
suffrage,  and  thus  bringing  in  new  batches  of  voters,  who,  they  suppose, 
will  be  grateful  and  faithful  to  them  for  conferring  the  new  franchise. 
Lords  Derby  and  Beaconsfield,  'Conservatives'  as  they  are,  make  this 
bid  for  continuance  in  power.  Mr.  Gladstone,  that  'canny  Scot,'  steals 
their  thunder,  and  then  proposes  to  confirm  his  lease  of  power  by 
manufacturing  a  vast  new  batch  of  voters  out  of  the  huge  masses  lying 
still  nearer  the  pauper  line.  Thus  Britain  drifts  surely  toward  univers-il 
suffrage,  under  the  same  perilous  influences  which  have  fixed  it  in 
America.  When  universal  suffrage  has  come;  when  the  church,  that 
'bulwark  of  the  throne,'  is  gone;  when  all  the  wholesome  checks  of 
distributed  powers  are  lost  in  the  sole  supremacy  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, how  long  will  the  throne  stand?  When  the  dynasty  of  Hanover 
is  gone,  what  centre  of  unity  will  there  be  for  the  vast  colonial  branches 
of  the  empire?  Will  the  great  oligarchy  of  the  Indian  Empire,  will 
the  great  democracies  of  Australia  and  Canada,  consent  to  be  ruled  by 
the  democracy  of  England? 

"These  questions  make  the  thoughtful  surmise  that,  although  the 
conservative  forces  of  the  British  Constitution  and  people  have  hitherto 
made  change  very  slow,  and  have  postponed  startling  novelties  for  cen- 
turies, yet  the  time  is  now  beginning  to  approach  when  great  and  peril- 
ous changes  will  occur.  Prophesying  is  a  dangerous  business  for  those 
who  are  not  inspired.     It  may  be  that  Providence  will  raise  up  another 


420         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Chatham  at  the  critical  time,  to  guide  the  necessary  modifications  with 
a  wise  and  mighty  hand.  Or,  it  may  be  that  while  the  political  tricksters 
are  fighting  their  small  warfare  for  place  with  each  other,  the  cataclysm 
may  come  and  upturn  everything.  But  one  thing  seems  clear,  British 
prosperity  is  an  artificial  structure.  It  has  grown  out  of  proportion. 
Britain  now  produces  but  little  over  half  her  own  bread.  The  pile  is 
too  lofty  to  be  secure." " 

During  his  weeks  in  Germany,  he  wrote,  for  the  Observer, 
on  the  causes  of  the  theological  vagaries  which  obtain  in  that 
country,  and  subsequently  on  the  "Inwardness  of  German  The- 
ology," instructive  and  exceedingly  able,  if  somewhat  one- 
sided, articles;  and,  for  the  Central  Presbyterian,  on  "The 
Sabbath  in  Germany,"  an  article  of  great  practical  value ;  and 
on  other  subjects.  Meantime  he  was  writing  frequently  and 
fully  to  Mrs.  Dabney  and  certain  of  his  friends.  From  Leipsic 
he  had  written  to  Mrs.  Dabney,  under  date  of  July  22nd,  a 
letter  from  which  the  following  excerpt  is  taken : 

"The  etiquette  in  Germany  is  for  the  newcomer  to  make  the  first  call. 
I  went  with  Mr.  Gregory,  who  has  become  a  German,  and  called  on 
five  of  the  theological  professors.  All  received  me  civilly,  some  warmlJ^ 
One,  Herr  Geheimrath,  Professor  Lechler,  returned  my  call.  He  seems 
to  know  something  about  America.  Most  of  them  know  little,  and  of 
the  South  absolutely  nothing.  The  greatest  of  their  theological  pro- 
fessors here,  Herr  Oberrath,  Delitsch,  confessed  to  me  that  he  had 
never  seen  Hodge's  Theology.  Their  contempt  for  the  scholarship  of 
other  nations  is  absurd  and  most  blamable.  If  they  would  consider 
other  people's  writings  some,  perhaps  they  would  not  be  so  everlast- 
ingly running  after  new-fangled  crotchets  and  heresies.  They  are  like 
Job's  fools:  'Surely  we  are  the  people;  and  wisdom  will  die  with  us.' 
The  next  biggest  man  here  is  Luthardt.  I  called  on  him,  too.  .  .  . 
[Here  we  have  a  characteristic  description  of  the  personal  appearance 
of  Luthardt,  his  wife  and  daughters,  in  which  they  are  represented  as  not 
handsome.] 

"I  thought  I  would  amuse  and  please  him  by  telling  him  how  familiar 
we  were  with  German  lexicons,  etc.,  in  Virginia.  He  swallowed  it  aU 
gravely,  and  said,  'Ya ;  Shermany  ist  de  schoolmistress  of  the  vorldt." 

"Day  before  yesterday,  I  went  to  a  theological  disputation  to  be 
held  in  Latin.  On  one  side  was  a  young  Dr.  Schedeman,  who  wanted 
to  become  a  Privat-Docent.,  i.  c.  tutor  in  the  University.  On  the  other 
was  the  theological  faculty.  He  stood  and  they  sat.  But  they  did  not 
have  much  advantage  of  him  in  that;  for  the  seat  was  a  shelf,  the 
meanest  I  ever  saw.     They  picked  at  him,  on  the  points  of  an  essay 

^  Central  Presbyterian,  Wednesday,  July  21,  1880. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     421 

he  had  written  in  Latin  and  already  had  printed,  for  about  three  hours. 
They  objected  and  criticised  in  Latin,  and  he  replied  in  Latin,  rather 
lamely.  They  did  most  of  the  talking.  At  the  end  the  poor  fellow  was 
so  tired  he  looked  almost  like  fainting.  They  say  it  is  a  usage  which  has 
come  down  from  the  middle  ages,  and  which  they  cannot  depart  from, 
because  it  is  so  venerable.  It  was  very  much  a  serious  farce.  They 
are  certainly  familiar  with  Latin. 

"I  went,  yesterday  afternoon,  to  a  place  which  would  have  interested 
you  much.  Saxony,  you  know,  is  one  of  the  countries  most  famous  in 
the  world  for  fine-wooled  merino  sheep.  The  King  of  Saxony,  to 
promote  manufacturing,  now  has  a  sort  of  exhibition  of  woolens  open 
here.  There  are  two  pavilions,  very  large,  one  roofed  with  glass,  the 
other  with  tin.  The  latter  has  steam  engines  in  it,  and  all  kinds  of 
machinery  for  spinning  and  weaving,  in  actual  motion.  The  glass  house 
exhibits  the  products ;  everything  that  can  be  made  from  wool,  from  a 
saddle-blanket  to  the  most  beautiful  snow-white  or  peach-colored 
merino,  or  from  a  baby's  knit  sacque  to  a  hank  of  colored  worsted. 
There  were  many  carpets  and  rugs;  some  plain,  many  more  beautiful 
than  you  almost  ever  see  in  America ;  every  variety  of  cloths  and  cash- 
meres for  men,  from  orange  and  scarlet  to  black.  Tweeds,  pilot  cloths, 
beaver  cloths,  heavy  and  thin.  More  beautiful  merino  shirts  and  chemises 
than  you  ever  dreamed  of.  It  was  hard  to  believe  it  was  not  fine,  glossy 
knit  silk.  Woolen  plushes,  as  rich  and  soft  as  Lyons  velvet.  Ladies' 
wraps  and  shawls ;  some  the  softest,  most  beautiful  things  you  can 
imagine,  as  much  before  the  cashmeres  as  you  can  think.  The  most 
beautiful  part  was  the  ladies'  dress  goods,  all  pure  wool,  every  shade 
from  black,  blue-black,  olive-green,  grass-green,  sea-green,  old-gold, 
blue,  sky-blue,  purple,  crimson,  scarlet,  peach-blossom,  ashes  of  roses, 
orange,  yellow,  peach-colored,  straw-colored,  snow-white — and  all  so 
beautifully  fixed  that  they  shaded  ofT  in  color  like  a  beautiful  picture. 
Were  I  a  lady,  I  should  value  a  dress  of  that  exquisite  merino  more 
than  the  finest  silk  that  ever  came  out  of  France.  Nothing  like  it  was 
ever  seen  in  America,  certainly  not  by  me.  Not  a  piece  of  cotton-warp 
alpaca  did  I  see.  It  seemed  to  me  that  had  a  piece,  such  as  you  ladies 
wear,  been  put  in  there,  the  managers  would  have  taken  it  on  the  end 
of  a  stick,  like  a  soiled  newspaper,  and  pitched  it  out  of  doors.  The  only 
place  I  saw  anything  of  that  sort  was  in  the  festooning  of  the  stair 
railing,  that  may  have  been  about  such  stuff.  By  the  way,  the  German 
calicoes  are  much  better  than  the  Yankee,  and  the  colors  and  figures 
much  more  tasteful.  One  of  these  German  women,  in  her  morning- 
dress  of  calico,  neatly  trimmed,  looks  as  dressy  as  if  she  had  on  a 
figured  Japan  silk." 

On  the  6th  of  August  he  was  back  at  Gcettingen,  his  touring 
in  Germany  done  for  the  most  part.  On  the  night  following 
that  day  he  wrote  : 


422         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"My  Dearest  Wife:  I  reached  here  this  afternoon,  and  found  Char- 
ley well.  He  was  dressed  up  in  his  fancy  dyke,  swallow-tailed  coat, 
white  kid  gloves  and  stove-pipe  hat,  and  was  about  to  go  to  his  examina- 
tion at  five  o'clock.  The  old  fellow  was  quite  nervous ;  and  I  could  not 
help  being  so  by  sympathy.  However,  he  came  back  about  half-past 
eight  o'clock  in  high  feather,  saying  that  he  was  certainly  Doctor  of 
Philosophy,  with  next  to  the  highest  grade.  I  do  not  set  overmuch 
store  on  parchment  honors ;  but  I  confessed  I  was  greatly  pleased  at 
his  pleasure.  Several  of  his  companions  came  in  to  congratulate  him. 
A  German  student  went  in  with  him.  They  were  examined,  orally, 
about  three  hours.  The  two  were  then  bowed  out  into  an  adjoining 
room,  where  they  waited  ten  minutes,  very  much  like  horse-thieves 
waiting  while  the  jury  is  making  up  their  verdict.  Then  the  University 
beadle  came  in  and  carried  them  back  into  the  Faculty  room,  where 
the  Dean  of  the  Faculty  rose  up  and  made  them  a  formal  speech  in 
Latin,  telling  them  that  they  were  accepted.  Charley  seems  quite  well, 
and  sends  his  love  to  all.    He  has  gone  to  bed  very  tired. 

"I  have  written  you  quite  regularly  from  each  place  where  I  stopped — 
Berlin,  Dresden,  Leipsic,  Eisenach,  Liebenstein  Springs.  Wednesday 
morning  I  left  there  and  came  to  Cassel,  the  capital  of  what  was  the 
Dutchy  of  Hesse,  whence  old  George  the  Third  hired  the  Hessian 
troops  to  fight  against  us  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Bismarck  has  now 
swallowed  it  down,  and  it  is  a  part  of  Prussia.  Cassel  is  partly  an 
old,  crooked,  bad-smelling  German  town,  and  partly  a  nice  new  city, 
with  a  picture  gallery  and  many  nice  buildings.  The  chief  object  with 
sightseers,  however,  is  the  palace  and  park  of  Wilhelmshohe  (William's 
Hill),  which  occupy  the  whole  side  of  a  right  smart  mountain.  The 
palace  is  near  the  foot.  The  grounds  extend  up  to  the  top,  where  there 
is  a  great  structure,  in  the  shape  of  an  octagon,  of  hewn  stone,  of  no 
use  in  the  world  except  for  show,  with  a  statue  of  Hercules  on  top. 
There  are  two  or  three  artificial  water-falls  and  a  fountain.  But  as 
they  only  play  on  Sundays,  I  did  not  see  any  of  this.  I  put  up  at  .) 
nice  clean  tavern,  where,  among  other  refreshments.  I  got  a  nice  warm 
bath. 

"I  shall  now  press  Charley  all  I  can  in  his  packing  up,  and  start 
towards  Switzerland  as  soon  as  I  can.  My  idea  is  to  stop  a  little  at 
Munich,  on  account  of  the  fine  galleries  of  pictures  and  statues  there, 
and  then  go  into  Switzerland,  to  see  something  of  nature's  grander 
pictures ;  then  to  Paris ;  then  to  London,  to  give  Charley  some  view 
of  that  big  city,  and  then  home.  But  I  shall,  of  course,  be  disposed 
to  consult  his  wishes  some  in  the  plan." 

As  was  to  have  been  expected.  Dr.  Dabney  wasted  neither 
time  nor  paper  in  the  description  of  the  phenomena  which 
travellers  had  dilated  on  in  our  prints  for  generations ;  but  a 
trip  through  the  St.  Gothard  pass  provoked  him  to  a  bit  of 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     423 

descriptive  writing  worthy  a  place  on  these  pages.     He  thus 
wrote,  on  August  26th,  to  the  editor  of  the  Christian  Observer: 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  promised  not  to  abuse  the  patience 
of  your  readers  by  giving  descriptions  of  European  scenery  described  a 
thousand  times  by  others,  and,  in  these  days  of  tourists,  even  seen  for 
themselves  by  many  of  your  patrons.  Hence  I  have  said  very  little 
about  places  and  scenes,  as  I  have  been  so  much  in  the  beaten  track  of 
European  travel ;    but  I  propose  to  depart  for  once  from  this  rule. 

"I  have  just  completed  a  journey,  which,  I  surmise,  no  reader  of 
yours  has  made.  Leaving  Zurich  last  Thursday  by  railroad  we  came  to 
Zug.  Thence  we  took  a  little  lake  steamer  on  the  Lake  of  Zug  to  the 
foot  of  Mount  Rhigi,  and  thence  ascended  that  strange  mountain  by  that 
strange,  steep,  startling  railroad,  whose  trains  come  so  near  looking  as 
though  they  would  next  climb  a  tree;  but  it  is  not  so  much  of  Mount 
Rhigi,  with  its  hotels  perched  on  its  peak  in  the  clouds,  and  its  feet 
girdled  by  its  four  lakes,  and  its  wonderful  horizon,  including  a  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  of  the  snowy  Alps,  that  I  propose  to  speak;  for  to 
Mount  Rhigi  everybody  goes  who  goes  to  the  Alps,  and  near  as  its 
hotels  and  their  lawns  are  to  the  clouds,  they  were  as  familiarly  and 
populously  furnished  with  London  and  New  York  cockneys  as  any  other 
of  the  tourists'  haunts. 

"It  is  of  the  sequel  of  this  trip  I  would  speak.  Descending  the  steep 
southern  slope  of  Rhigi,  I  reached  that  wild,  irregular  lake  of  sky-blue 
waters,  which  Englishmen  call  'Lake  of  Lucerne,'  but  which  genuine 
Swiss  persist  in  calling  the  Vier-wald  Statter  lak  (The  Lake  of  the 
Four  Forest  Cantons"}.  It  lies  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Alps,  sur- 
rounded by  the  wildest  and  most  rugged  of  these  mountains.  Into  its 
southwestern  bay  pours  the  river  or  torrent  Reuss,  which  descends  from 
the  watershed  of  the  great  St.  Gothard.  It  was  by  a  graded  road  over 
this  pass  that  I  proposed  to  enter  Northern  Italy,  and  take  a  glimpse 
at  her  beautiful  lakes  and  cities. 

"Over  this  lake  towers  to  the  southeast  Mt.  Pilatus,  that  enormous 
pyramid  of  shivered  granite,  where  popish  tradition  says  the  unjust 
judge  of  the  Saviour  ended  his  life  by  suicide;  and  over  the  southwest, 
Rutli,  with  its  glaciers.  Around  this  angle,  amidst  the  vast,  heaven- 
kissing  precipices,  cluster  the  richest  traditions  of  Swiss  patriotism. 

"In  these  savage  gorges,  Swiss  liberty  held  its  last  refuge.  Here  is 
the  village  of  Altdorf,  the  home  of  Tell;  where  his  authentic  statue 
stands,  as  I  saw.  Near  it  is  the  Tell  Chapel,  and  a  few  miles  north, 
the  clifif  down  which  he  escaped  from  the  Austrian  satrap  to  his  boat. 

"At  seven  o'clock  yesterday  the  diligence  set  out,  drawn  sometimes 
by  five,  sometimes  by  six  horses,  along  a  paved  road,  ascending  the 
valley  of  the  Reuss.  As  we  advanced,  the  meadows  grew  narrower,  and 
then  disappeared — the  valley  became  a  gorge.  The  gigantic  mountains 
pressed  us  more  closely,  the  turnpike,  though  perfectly  smooth,  found 


424         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

no  longer  any  field  to  traverse,  but  was  excavated  across  precipices  or 
through  galleries  in  the  faces  of  the  cliffs.  The  river  became  a  torrent, 
and  sometimes  almost  a  cascade.  We  left  behind  us,  first,  the  forests, 
then  the  bushes,  and  at  last  even  the  grass,  for  there  was  now  no  earth 
to  sustain  even  the  grasses,  but  only  splintered  pinnacles  and  fields  of 
granite,  with  the  glaciers  sweeping  down  within  plain  view  of  the  pass. 
At  length,  where  the  naked  rocks  met  the  cold,  grey  clouds,  we  passed 
the  summit  between  two  little  lakelets  of  snow-water  enclosed  in  basins 
of  solid  rock,  and  we  were  south  of  the  main  Alp,  and  on  the  Italian 
slope,  on  the  verge  of  another  world. 

"As  we  approached  the  dividing  ridge,  we  saw  the  grey  stones 
everywhere  patched  over  with  squares  of  brown.  These  were  plugs  of 
peat-moss,  cut  from  the  sour,  cold  patches  of  morass  a  little  below 
(where  nothing  better  than  peat-moss  could  grow),  and  laid  upon  the 
rocks  to  dry.  The  poor  mountaineers  would  then  carry  them  a  weary 
way  down  the  mountains,  to  their  chalets,  for  fuel ;  many  of  them, 
perhaps,  on  the  backs  of  women !  So  do  the  prosaic  and  even  squalid 
necessities  of  man  intrude  into  the  grandeurs  of  nature ! 

"Our  last  stage  up  the  mountain  had  required  six  horses,  so  that 
our  diligence  looked  very  much  as  though  it  were  following,  in  some 
hap-hazard  manner,  a  drove  of  horses ;  but  on  our  first  stage  down  the 
Italian  side,  our  team  was  reduced  to  two,  and  these  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  guide  the  pole  of  the  vehicle.  Down  a  smooth  descent  of  a  half 
mile  we  glided  from  the  hospice,  when  the  visible  end  of  the  road 
seemed  to  shoot  over  into  an  abyss,  awful  in  its  vastness,  immeasurable 
in  its  depth,  for,  although  we  looked  down  endless  slopes  of  granite  and 
dark  green  turf,  the  curvature  of  the  mountain  side  forbade  our  seeing 
any  bottom;  but  just  as  we  seemed  on  the  verge,  the  road  turned  back 
on  itself  by  a  sudden  curve.  Looking  down,  six  or  seven  of  these 
zigzags  appeared,  coiled  like  serpents,  one  beneath  the  other,  and  how 
many  others  were  concealed  in  the  gulf  below  we  could  not  tell.  At 
each  approach  to  the  outer  curve  of  one  of  the  infoldings,  we  graze  the 
very  verge,  and  at  the  critical  moment  sweep  around  again,  looking  over 
into  depths  where  the  breaking  of  one  bolt  in  the  brake  of  the  vehicle, 
or  the  stumble  of  a  horse,  would  have  hurled  diligence  and  passengers 
down,  where  their  course  would  not  have  ended  until  the  very  iron 
of  the  wheels  would  have  been  in  fine  splinters.  But  fortunately  the 
good  horses  did  not  stumble ;  and  evidently  they  had  no  more  desire 
to  try  the  fearful  leap  than  we  had.  So,  at  last,  after  our  hearts  had 
twenty  times  stood  still  with  solemn  awe,  the  bottom  was  reached  at  the 
little  Italian  town  of  Airolo,  the  southern  mouth  of  the  St.  Gothard 
tunnel. 

"But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  at  Airolo  one  has  done  descending. 
Three  stages  still  followed,  in  which  the  road  passed  through  a  series 
of  profound  and  rugged  gorges,  following  the  Riviera,  another  rushing 
torrent,  toward  Lago  Maggiore.     At  Biasca  the  cars  are  reached,  and 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     425 

forty  miles  of  railroad,  still  through  romantic  mountains,  place  the 
traveller  at  Locarno,  on  the  northern  end  of  this  grand  mountain  loch. 

"In  going  towards  the  summit  of  Mt.  Gothard  Pass,  I  saw  every- 
where the  works  of  the  great  railroad  which  is  to  connect  Zurich  with 
Milan  through  Mt.  Gothard  tunnel. 

"This  gigantic  work  rivals,  in  the  dimensions  of  its  audacity  at  least, 
the  grandeurs  of  nature.  When  I  say  that  it  pierces  the  great  watershed 
from  Goschenen,  on  the  north  side,  to  Airolo,  on  the  south,  by  one 
tunnel,  already  finished,  of  nine  miles  in  length,  I  have  mentioned  but 
one  of  the  obstacles  it  overcomes.  Nearly  every  mile  presents  a  miracle 
of  engineering  boldness,  and  of  labor  and  expense.  It  passes,  for 
instance,  for  miles  along  the  eastern  bay  of  the  Four  Cantons  lake,  by 
tunneling  a  path  through  the  perpendicular  granite  cliff  of  a  thousand 
feet  height,  which  here  pitches  sheer  down  into  the  fathomless  waters. 
Finding,  then,  a  little  respite  in  the  narrow  but  level  meadows  of  the 
Reuss,  between  Fluelen  and  Altdorf,  it  begins  again  to  struggle  with 
the  gigantic  obstacles  of  the  pass,  twenty-three  miles,  to  the  beginning 
of  the  main  tunnel.  It  bridges  the  main  torrent  and  its  lateral  affluents, 
times  beyond  counting — tunnels,  side-spurs  and  crags  too  numerous  to 
remember,  fills  enormous  side-ravines,  and  shelters  itself  from  ava- 
lanches, not  only  of  snow,  but  rock,  by  solid  vaulted  arcades  of  cut 
stone.  Unable,  by  any  grade  practicable  for  a  train,  to  ascend  to  the 
level  of  the  main  tunnel  at  Groschenen,  it  resorts  to  a  complicated 
system  of  zigzags,  by  which  it  advances  and  retreats  through  these 
enormous  difficulties.  On  one  mountain  side,  seamed  with  vast  cor- 
rugations, I  saw  three  tracks,  the  one  above  the  other,  and  each  pre- 
senting tunnels,  bridges  and  gigantic  embankments.  Besides  this  enter- 
prise of  modern  commerce  the  great  works  of  the  ancients  are  dwarfed 
into  trivialities. 

"A  gifted  lady  in  North  Carolina  has  described  its  mountain  regions 
under  the  title  of  'The  Land  of  the  Sky.'  This  belongs  more  correctly 
to  the  pastoral  regions  of  the  'Forest  Cantons.'  Let  the  reader  con- 
ceive a  land  of  the  richest  blue-grass  fields  of  Central  Kentucky,  about 
five  miles  m  length,  but  divided  literally  by  mighty  ledges  of  rock 
and  crosswise  by  ragged  ravines,  dotted  over  with  fruit  and  walnut 
trees,  and  the  whole  then  apparently  set  up  nearly  upon  its  edge,  so 
that  the  upper  margin,  far.  far  above,  meets  either  the  cloud,  or  the 
glacier,  or  the  awful  altitudes  of  the  everlasting,  naked  granite.  Then 
let  him  imagine  the  chalets  sprinkled  everywhere,  up,  up  to  the  edge 
of  the  glacier,  until  they  become  specks  amidst  the  verdure  of  the  crags ; 
and  he  has  a  picture  in  his  mind  cf  these  Swiss  pastures.  Wherever 
there  is  any  soil  at  all,  it  bears  the  richest  sward. 

"The  steepness  of  the  pastures  is  almost  incredible.  Its  populous- 
ness  is  equally  surprising.  Wherever  there  is  next  the  sky  a  lap  of 
pasturage  between  the  ledges  which  looks  as  large  as  a  carpet,  there 
is  also  a  chalet.     But  the  eye  is  so  confounded  by  the  vastness  of  the 


426         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

scale,  that  what  appears  a  patch  would  probably  be  found,  on  ascend- 
ing, a  large  though  rugged  field.  There  is  almost  no  tillage,  and  next 
to  no  grain.  I  passed,  on  the  Rhigi,  one  wheat  field  six  yards  broad 
and  fifteen  long,  with  one  or  two  of  rye  a  little  larger.  The  only  wealth 
of  the  people  is  the  rich,  short  grass,  and  the  cattle  and  goats  which 
it  maintains,  with  the  nuts  of  their  trees.  The  flour  for  the  bread  they 
eat  is  carried,  mostly  on  women's  shoulders,  up  the  steep  and  almost 
endless  ascents  from  the  valleys  below. 

"This  feminine  duty  of  burden-bearing  received  an  authentic  illus- 
tration the  other  day.  A  lady  whom  I  met  at  Milan  went  last  summer 
to  a  villa  residence  in  Italian  Switzerland.  The  hotel  was  'two  hours' 
up  the  steep  mountain  side.  For  her  ascent  a  saddled  donkey  was 
provided.  She,  however,  woman-like,  asked  how  her  trunk  was  to 
reach  her.  The  hirer  of  the  donkey  answered,  Tn  either  of  two  ways : 
by  another  donkey,  at  the  cost  of  two  and  a  half  francs,  or  by  a 
woman's  back,  at  one  franc' 

"The  very  name  of  Swiss  chalet  carries  something  romantic ;  rich, 
aesthetic  ladies  build  their  costly  villas  in  the  supposed  shape  of  the 
chalet.  But  if  my  reader  wishes  to  preserve  his  romance,  he  had  better 
never  approach  the  actual  chalet.  What  is  it?  A  log  cabin,  or  stone 
basement  which  is  half  cow-stable  and  half  sordid  human  habitation. 
The  eaves  project,  and  the  shingles  are  kept  in  place  by  rows  of  great 
stones  upon  the  roof.  The  hinder  gable  burrows  into  the  overhanging 
declivity.  The  floor  of  the  human  stable  is  earth,  as  of  the  brute  com- 
partment; and  the  lofts  of  both  are  filled  with  hay.  The  wood-pile 
adorns  one  side  of  the  door,  and  the  dunghill  the  other.  The  inmates 
are  as  far  from  the  reader's  ideal  of  Damon  and  Phyllis  as  pack-bearing 
up  steep  mountains,  hard  poverty,  dirty  quarters,  and  sallow,  smoke- 
dried  faces  can  make  them.  I  speak  of  the  common  chalets  of  the 
peasantry.  Some  of  the  well-to-do  yeomen,  especially  in  Protestant 
cantons,  have  cottages  in  chalet  form  which  are  almost  tasteful  homes. 

"Another  thing  to  be  understood  is,  that  there  are  by  no  means 
as  many  families  as  chalets  on  the  mountain.  One  family  owns  several, 
and  inhabits  them  in  turns  at  different  seasons  of  the  year.  This  fre- 
quent removal  of  their  penatcs  is  the  method  adopted  by  them  to  meet 
the  difiiculties  of  transportation  on  their  steep  lands  without  roads. 
To  collect  all  the  forage  for  the  cows,  or  all  the  fuel  for  their  long 
winter,  at  any  one  point  of  the  farm,  would  be  an  almost  impossible 
labor.  Hence,  several  chalets  are  built,  some  higher  and  some  lower, 
and  the  portion  of  fuel  and  hay  nearest  to  each  is  stored  in  it.  The 
family  then  shoulders  its  household  goods,  and,  driving  its  cows,  goes 
to  one  chalet,  which  it  and  the  cows  then  inhabit  until  the  supplies  there 
stored  are  consumed,  when  all  remove  to  another.  As  the  mountain 
(of  hay,  etc.)  cannot  come  to  Mohammed,  Mohammed  goes  to  the 
mountain. 

"My  awakening  at  Locarno  this  morning  has  shown  me  a  new  world. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     427 

I  am,  politically,  still  in  Switzerland,  in  the  Italian  canton  of  Ticino ; 
but,  geographically,  in  Italy — sunny,  warm,  gracious  Italy,  with  its 
Virginian  sun ;  its  blue  lake  set  around  with  mountains,  usually  soft 
and  vine-clad,  yet  still  opening  back,  here  and  there,  vistas  to  the  rugged 
grandeurs  of  the  Alps ;  with  its  grapes,  melons  and  peaches ;  its  valleys 
covered  with  Indian  corn,  the  snap-beans  running  on  the  tall  stalks, 
and  the  peasants  even  curing  the  'crap-grass  hay'  plucked  from  among 
the  rows.  Piedmont  Italy  is,  in  climate,  precisely  Piedmont  Virginia. 
It  will  not  be  long,  I  trust,  before  our  sunny  mountain  slopes  will  also 
be  vine-clad,  and  studded  with  gleaming  homes,  peeping  out  from  vine- 
yards and  orchards  and  chestnut  groves,  instead  of  waving  in  the  fruit- 
less, primeval  forest. 

"But  never  may  the  day  arrive  when  our  Southern  land  shall  be 
blighted  with  the  religion  whose  curse  upon  Italy  met  me  as  soon  as  I 
opened  my  eyes  on  her  sunlight.  The  first  object  which  met  my  sight 
was  a  profusion  of  floral  decorations  and  triumphal  arches,  scattered 
over  the  town,  but  all  now  sere  and  yellow.  After  a  little  search,  a 
great  placard,  still  affixed  to  the  wall,  gave  me  the  explanation.  August 
13th,  14th  and  15th  had  been  the  fourth  anniversary  of  Madonna  del 
Sasso  ('My  Lady  of  the  Crag'),  a  local  idol  of  Locarno,  who,  they  say, 
four  years  ago,  made  a  miraculous  appearance  to  the  priests  of  her  fane, 
a  church  built  above  the  town  on  a  rock  promontory  of  the  mountain, 
and  who  has  since  been  working  many  miracles.  So  a  Romish  arch- 
bishop came  to  celebrate  this  fourth  year  of  her  divine  reign  over  the 
Locarnese  by  a  three  days'  festival,  with  sermons,  masses,  processions, 
fire-works,  and  military  music,  and  Pope  Leo  XIII.  sent  her  a  golden 
crown,  which  was  then  placed  formally  on  her  head.  The  whole  devout 
population  was  climbing  the  hill  to  her  temple  by  many  hundred  stone 
steps.  I  climbed  after  them.  The  interior  of  her  sanctuary  was  blazing 
with  pictures,  curtains,  crimson  and  gilding.  Beside  the  high  altar,  on  a 
species  of  throne,  was  seated  a  wax  doll  of  life  size,  dressed  in  blue 
silk,  and  crowned  with  gold,  holding  a  wax  infant  on  her  bosom.  The 
old  women,  after  most  solemn  genuflections,  were  going  up  to  this 
image,  kneeling  and  kissing  her  toe.  Each  one's  countenance  seemed  to 
say,  as  she  came  away,  'Now  is  my  soul's  business  settled  favorably  for 
this  world  and  the  next,  for  have  I  not  kissed  the  holy  wax  toe?'  In  a 
little  chapel  beneath  the  church  is  a  perpetual  representation  of  the 
miraculous  appearance.  Six  wax  dolls,  as  large  as  life,  impersonate  the 
descending  virgin  and  the  five  priests  who  (they  say)  saw  her.  Are 
not  these  dolls  proof  enough  to  the  popish  mind?  Surely.  So  I  found 
myself  in  a  very  pious  population,  after  a  fashion.  The  afternoon  of  the 
Sabbath  was  spent  by  the  people  witnessing  a  long  shooting  match  of 
the  militia  in  front  of  my  hotel !" 

From  Geneva,  he  wrote  chiefly  of  the  .Evangehcal  Society 
of  Geneva,  its  past  and  current  history.     From  France,  of  the 


428         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

state  of  religion  in  that  country,  treating  with  an  insight,  which 
has  been  largely  vindicated  by  subsequent  events,  Pere  Hya- 
cinth's movement,  the  McAll  Mission,  and  discontent  with 
popery,  and  the  reason  why  the  Reformed  Church  in  France 
does  not  separate  from  the  State.  Having  made  clear,  in  regard 
to  this  last  subject,  that  State  aid  is  inevitably  followed  by 
the  incubus  of  rationalism  in  many  of  the  pulpits,  he  raises  the 
question,  "Why  do  they  not  give  up  the  money,  and  thus  throw 
off  this  wretched  incubus?"    He  answers: 

"I  believe  that  this  is  just  what  they  ought  to  do.  My  sympathies 
and  convictions  have  ever  been  with  the  Free  Presbyterian  Church  of 
France,  and  the  little,  but  faithful  handful  represented  by  the  Rev. 
Frederick  Monod ;  but  yet  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  disestablish- 
ment of  the  Reformed  Church  are  such  that  they  decided  even  such 
men  as  Adolph  Monod,  the  distinguished  relative  of  the  leader  of  the 
Free  Church,  and  M.  Guizot  himself,  who  remained  the  earnest  advocate 
of  the  state  establishment.  The  arguments  which  seem  to  have  decided 
them  to  cling  to  this  golden  incubus  are  such  as  these:  That  their  laity, 
so  long  benumbed  by  formalism,  and  accustomed  to  lean  on  the  state 
treasury  for  parochial  support,  would  be  utterly  unwilling  to  assume  the 
burdens  on  their  own  shoulders,  and  would  resent  the  action  of  their 
brethren  in  calling  them  thereto;,  and  especially  that  the  Reformed 
Church  cannot  afford  to  relinquish  this  advantage  of  its  state  support, 
leaving  its  great  rival,  the  Popish  Church,  in  the  enjoyment  of  it.  The 
.argument  is,  'If  the  Romanists  are  to  have  this  capital  advantage,  we 
must  hold  our  share  of  it  also.' 

"Here  again  the  American  Christian  would  ask :  'Why,  then,  do  they 
not  rise  to  the  true  and  consistent  position,  and  demand  the  disestablish- 
ment of  all  the  churches.  Reformed  and  Popish?  Let  the  government 
do  what  a  free  republic  ought  to  do — disconnect  itself  from  all  churches, 
and  leave  all  to  take  care  of  themselves.' 

"This  leads  us  to  the  heart  of  this  question.  All  French  statesmen, 
of  all  schools,  feel  that  they  dare  not  leave  the  Romish  Church  free  to 
take  care  of  itself  and  to  shape  its  own  career.  From  the  days  of  the 
First  Consul  to  those  of  Gambetta  and  Grevy  there  has  never  been  a 
ruler  in  France  who  was  willing  to  risk  such  a  policy.  All  have  felt  that 
their  relation  to  the  Papal  Church  was  like  that  of  one  who  has  a  vicious 
dog  by  the  ears.  It  is  laborious  to  hold  him,  but  he  dares  not  let  him 
go,  for  fear  of  being  torn  to  pieces  by  him.  The  common  expression  of 
the  friends  of  free  government  in  France  is  that  if  government  were  to 
dissolve  its  connection  with  the  Papal  Church,  and  leave  it  free,  as  it 
is  in  the  United  States,  to  raise  its  own  revenues,  and  shape  its  own 
policy,  popery  would  in  ten  years  infallibly  overthrow  any  free,  consti- 
tutional administration  which  France  could  have.  Popery,  enjoying  the 
large   constituency   it    has    among   the    French    people,    and    instinctive 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     429 

enemy  as  it  is  of  constitutional  freedom,  must  be  controlled  by  the  gov- 
ernment, or  it  would  destroy  it;  but  the  quietest,  easiest  and,  indeed, 
only  way  to  control  popery  is  for  the  civil  government  to  keep  its  thumb 
always  upon  the  salaries  of  its  priests.  This  is  the  only  bridle  in  their 
mouths. 

"If  all  churches  are  disestablished,  then  all  must  be  left,  on  repub- 
lican principles,  to  raise  their  own  revenues  by  voluntary  contributions 
of  the  people  who  choose  to  adhere  to  them ;  but  as  soon  as  this  liberty 
is  granted,  the  priests  will  begin  to  work  on  the  superstition  of  their 
people  with  indulgences,  masses,  extreme  unctions,  miracle-working 
relics,  and  all  the  known  machinery  of  extortion,  so  that  in  ten  years 
the  Papal  Church  would  be  so  rich  no  government  could  resist  its 
powers  and.  arts.  This,  then,  is  the  difficulty.  M.  Guizot  says,  'We 
Presbyterians  will  not  agree  to  be  disestablished,  unless  you  disestablish, 
at  the  same  time,  our  rival,  the  Papal  Church.'  But  the  government 
answers,  'The  latter  we  dare  not  do,  because  if  we  do  not  keep  popery 
dependent  on  us,  popery  will  infallibly  destroy  us.' 

"Here  was  the  policy  of  that  most  far-seeing  genius,  the  First  Na- 
poleon. Historians  have  often  asked,  'Why  did  he  make  the  Concordat 
with  the  Pope  when  First  Consul,  reestablishing  popery  in  France,  when 
it  lay  apparently  prostrated  after  the  tempest  of  the  Revolution?  He 
was  no  lover  of  popery !  Surely  his  love  of  power  would  not  incline 
him  to  readmit  the  Pope  to  so  much  influence  in  France !'  The  answer 
is:  Napoleon  knew  that  on  the  principle  of  the  Revolution,  by  virtue 
of  which  he  ruled,  he  could  not  object  to  every  Frenchman's  being  of 
whatever  religion  he  pleased.  He  knew  that,  in  fact,  the  majority  of 
Frenchmen  were  still  the  same.  The  alliance  between  the  Republic  and 
popery  is  unnatural,  illogical,  logically  monstrous?  Yes;  but  the  Re- 
public does  not  dare  sunder  the  alliance,  because  popery  would  speedily 
use  its  liberty  to  destroy  the  Republic. 

"This  history  is  instructive  for  us.  Most  people  would  declare  that 
a  union  of  church  and  state  is  so  utterly  alien  to  the  principles  of  the 
American  Constitution  that  it  will  be  forever  impossible,  and  especially 
would  such  union  be  impossible  with  a  hierarchal  and  despotic  church. 
They  are  short-sighted.  The  time  may  come  much  sooner  than  they 
think  when  American  politicians  also  will  feel  shut  up  to  this  incon- 
sistent resort  of  entering  into  alliance  with  popery  in  order  to  keep 
popery  from  destroying  them.  American  popery  is  to-day  diligently 
using  its  freedom  among  us  to  heap  up  money,  to  acquire  land  in  mort- 
main, to  arm  itself  with  all  the  corporate  powers  of  wealth,  in  ways 
which  French  statesmanship  would  never  dream  of  allowing  to  any 
denomination.  It  will  be  no  strange  thing  if,  after  a  time,  the  Ameri- 
can Republic  shall  find  it  must  wed  the  Scarlet  Woman  or  else  fight 
her,  and  judge  the  former  the  safer  course." 

An  outstanding  feattire  of  Dr.  Dabney  was  ever  his  intense 
energy.     The  following  excerpt,  from  a  long  and  very  inter- 


430         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

esting  letter  to  his  brother  Wilham,  will  prove  further  that  he 
carried  this  energy  with  him  on  this  tour : 

"Eisenach^  West  Saxony,  July  30,  1880. 
"My  Dear  Brother  :  The  fact  that  I  have  been  in  Europe  two 
months,  and  have  not  yet  written  to  you,  does  not  imply  that  you  and 
yours  have  not  been  constantly  and  affectionately  in  my  mind.  One 
gets  to  be  a  terrible  procrastinator  and  loafer  on  a  tour  like  mine.  He 
comes  to  his  room  tired  from  sight-seeing.  He  is  constantly  on  the 
move,  packing  and  unpacking.  Hence,  it  has  been  as  much  as  I  could 
find  time  to  do,  to  write  to  my  home  people,  and  a  little  for  my  news- 
paper friends.  I  may  add,  also,  that  what  writing  time  I  have  snatched 
has  been  monopolized  in  a  very  queer  way.  Going  to  Berlin,  I  was 
recommended  to  a  boarding-house  kept  by  the  widow  of  a  literary  man. 
Her  son,  a  university  graduate,  was  the  only  person  in  the  house  who 
spoke  English.  Hence,  of  course,  an  acquaintance.  I  found  he  was 
making  his  living  by  translating  English,  and  especially  American,  books 
for  some  German  publishers.  Thus  he  had  come  to  know  a  little  (most 
Germans,  no  matter  how  learned,  know  infinitely  less  about  Americans 
than  about  the  Pelaegians  or  Aryans)  about  us.  What  does  he  do, 
but  put  in  my  hands  the  American  edition  of  that  book,  which  we 
have  seen  advertised  at  home,  Fools'  Errand,  in  which  a  French  Cana- 
dian, Colonel  Tourgee,  who  played  carpet-bagger  in  North  Carolina, 
tries  to  blacken  us  since  the  war,  as  Mrs.  Stowe  did  before.  The  young 
man  asked  me  to  read  it,  and  give  him  my  impressions.  I  did  so.  The 
book  is  a  pack  of  lies  and  very  vulnerable.  He  then  told  me  his  object; 
which  was  to  translate  the  book  and  print  it  in  German  with  a  critique 
from  the  Southern  'staiidpoi)it,'  and  thus  give  both  sides  of  the  recon- 
struction picture.  He  asked  me  if  I  would  write  it.  I  assented,  and 
went  to  work,  in  scraps  of  time.  Of  course,  I  have  not  a  single  docu- 
ment or  book  of  reference ;  but  I  am,  fortunately,  very  familiar  with 
the  main  facts.  I  adopt  this  plan :  to  charge  the  accuser  with  bad  faith, 
in  that  he  puts  his  indictment  in  the  form  of  a  fiction,  with  no  respon- 
sible name,  concealing  the  place,  date  and  actors  of  the  outrages,  etc., 
he  professes  to  state;  thus  screening  himself  from  detection  in  detail. 
But  I  give  rebutting  facts  (which  show  his  narration  generally  im- 
probable and  specifically  false)  under  my  own  name.  Giving  place  and 
names  for  all  particular  facts,  and  making  myself  responsible  to  sub- 
stantiate them,  if  attacked.  I  shall  make  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
MS.  pages  such  as  this.  I  do  not  know  that  the  translator  will  publish 
them.    I  will  try  him."  ^ 

'  From  some  remarks  made  in  an  elaborate  review  of  the  literature 
of  Southerners  in  vindication  of  the  South's  course,  and  offered  to  the 
London  Quarterly  Revieiv  in  1882,  we  infer  that  the  manuscript  referred 
to  in  this  letter  was  never  published. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  ix  Union  Seminary.     431 

Returning  safely,  and  enriched  with  multitudinous  impres- 
sions, he  plunged  once  more,  about  the  middle  of  October,  into 
his  Seminary  work. 

During  these  years  (i874-'83)  his  correspondence  was 
heavy,  as  may  be  gathered  easily  from  the  preceding  pages. 
But,  in  addition  to  what  has  been  referred  to,  and  that  with 
the  members  of  his  mother's  family  to  which  he  was  still  de- 
voted, new  correspondents  sprang  up — some,  his  old  students, 
who  wrote  for  advice  on  some  point  or  other ;  some  persons 
who  had  read  his  books,  or  review  or  newspaper  publications. 
He  received  prized  letters  from  his  friends,  Turino,  of  Milan, 
and  Lotze,  of  Gcettingen ;  and  from  others  whose  acquaintance 
he  had  made  in  the  course  of  his  European  tour.  One  of  the 
pleasantest  letters  which  he  received  during  this  period  was 
from  the  Rev.  John  W.  Davis,  of  China,  now  Dr.  John  W. 
Davis.    That  letter  begins  as  follows : 

''SoocHow,  January  28,  1876. 
"Rev.  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D. 

"My  Dear  Friend  :  I  have  many  times  thought  of  writing  to  you, 
and  recently  circumstances  have  made  me  think  of  you  daily.  I  have 
been  reading  your  Life  of  Jackson.  My  appetite  for  such  mental  food 
was  keenly  whetted  by  my  poring  for  two  or  three  months  over  Mencius, 
and  I  can  truly  say  that  I  never  enjoyed,  in  my  life,  any  uninspired 
book  as  much  as  I  did  that  biography.  When  I  saw  what  a  noble  Chris- 
tian character  was  gradually  developed  in  its  pages,  I  prayed  that  this 
book  might  do  me  good.  I  was  encouraged  to  do  this,  for  I  knew  that 
this  book  was  the  child  of  many  prayers.  It  has  come  home  to  me  as  a 
long  fascinating  sermon  from  my  beloved  teacher,  and  I  feel  that  it  has 
done  me  good.  As  I  hung  over  its  closing  pages,  I  resolved  that  I  would 
read  the  book  once  a  year  as  long  as  I  live.  If  I  do  not,  it  will  be  be- 
cause the  picture  of  Jackson  has  been  so  vividly  and  indelibly  impressed 
upon  my  mind  that  I  shall  not  need  to  look  at  it  again.  I  enjoyed  Dr. 
Hoge's  masterly  oration  very  much,  but  do  not  feel  much  regret  at  not 
being  in  Richmond  when  it  was  delivered.  I  do  not  care  to  have  a 
crowd  around  me  when  I  think  of  our  Southern  hero.  I  would  rather 
be  alone  in  my  wee  study  (feet,  7  x  13),  where  I  can  in  quiet  dwell  on 
the  elements  of  character  which  made  Jackson  a  great  man. 

"If  you  had  never  preached  a  sermon  or  taught  a  class  you  would 
have  reason  to  thank  God  for  sparing  you  to  complete  that  one  book, 
and  send  it  forth  to  do  good  where  your  voice  will  never  be  heard." 

However  a  correspondence  was  begun.  Dr.  Dabney's  was 
likely  to   turn  out  the  more  lively  and  energetic   side.     His 


432         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

energy  was  so  vast  there  could  be  no  triviality  on  his  side. 
There  might  be  fun ;  there  was  often  humor,  sometimes  very 
grim  indeed  ;  there  was  always  wit.  There  could  be  no  empti- 
ness.   There  was  fulness  of  thought  and  feeling. 

We  come  now  to  a  step  of  which  he  has  left  a  pretty  full 
account — his  leaving  Union  Theological  Seminary  to  accept  the 
Chair  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  the  University  of 
Texas.    He  wrote  of  this  in  1895,  substantially  as  follows : 

"This  period  was  marked  by  one  of  the  strangest  and  saddest  revo- 
lutions of  my  troubled  life — my  migration  from  Virginia  to  Texas.  The 
main  cause  of  this  was  a  grand  and  final  breakdown  of  my  health,* 
under  which  my  wise  physician,  Dr.  J.  D.  Eggleston,  of  Hampden- 
Sidney,  prescribed  removal  to  a  warmer  climate,  as  the  only  thing  to 
rescue  me  from  the  grave.  Candor  requires  me  to  premise  a  few  other 
points.  The  introduction  of  railways  and  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy 
left  the  Seminary  in  an  undesirable  location,  no  longer  on  a  great  thor- 
oughfare as  when  Dr.  Rice  placed  it  near  Hampden-Sidney  College, 
but  isolated  and  in  the  middle  of  the  'black  belt,'  and  with  the  excellent 
society  of  country  gentlemen,  once  so  congenial  a  society  for  it,  doomed 
to  extirpation  by  the  conquerors ;  but  I  saw  that  its  removal  to  some 
more  hopeful  place  was  utterly  impracticable.  So  nothing  remained 
but  to  try  to  improve  the  conditions  of  our  College  village.  A  few  years 
of  subjugation  showed  me  two  drifts.  One  was  that  of  genteel  country 
families  to  urban  life;  our  conquerors  had  made  their  country  homes 
and  life  too  hard  and  repulsive  to  be  endured.  Existing  towns  were 
receiving  large  accessions,  and  new  ones  were  springing  up.  Another 
drift  that  intimately  concerned  us  was  that  of  the  negroes  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Seminary  and  College.  Agriculture  in  the  surrounding 
country  was  nearly  ruined;  the  mixture  of  job  work,  loafing  and 
chances  to  pilfer  around  us  suited  the  negro  exactly.    The  lands  around 

*  "That  Dr.  Dabney's  loyalty  to  the  Seminary  at  Hampden-Sidney 
had  not  failed  is  evident,  certainly  to  us  who  most  loved  and  prized 
him,  from  the  fact  that  when  Dr.  McGuffey  died,  he  was  urged  from 
the  highest  quarter,  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  chair  of  Philosophy 
in  the  University.  The  society,  the  position  and  salary,  we  can  easily 
believe,  were  extremely  alluring  to  him.  He  was  assured  that  there 
would  be  no  serious  difficulty  in  the  way  of  his  election ;  but  he  declined 
positively  to  allow  his  name  to  be  brought  before  the  Board  of  Visitors ; 
he  believed  that  he  had  been  called  of  God  to  his  post  at  the  Seminary, 
and  must  not  allow  himself  to  entertain  any  motives  of  personal  prefer- 
ence, or  ambition  or  gain.  As  he  wrote  on  this  subject,  T  am  an  enlisted 
soldier,  and  must  stand  on  my  post,  and  do  my  best  for  the  church 
until  I  know  that  God  has  given  me  an  honorable  discharge.'  "  (Dr. 
H.  M.  White  in  the  Central  Presbyterian,  Jamiary  19,  1898.) 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     433 

the  institution  were  poor,  exhausted,  unfenced,  and  nearly  unsalable. 
Most  of  the  owners  were  insolvent,  and  they  and  their  creditors  were 
willing  to  sell  to  anybody.  The  manifest  destiny  of  the  nearest  farms 
was  to  be  subdivided  and  sold  in  fee-simple  to  negroes,  so  that  College 
and  Seminary  were  to  be  closely  hugged  by  an  annular  negro  town  of 
the  most  sordid  quality.  I  was  then  a  trustee  of  Hampden-Sidney  Col- 
lege. I  made  the  most  powerful  appeal  I  could  to  both  bodies  of  trus- 
tees, to  those  of  the  College  as  an  equal  member,  to  those  of  the  Semi- 
nary as  a  servant,  humbly  and  urgently  petitioning.  I  showed  them  that 
they  had  to  choose  between  a  resident's  town  of  the  very  best  white 
people  in  Virginia,  and  a  town  of  negroes ;  that  if  they  sat  still,  the 
latter  would  inevitably  come  of  itself.  I  asked  them  whether  they 
thought  that  the  atmosphere  of  this  negro  town  would  be  favorable  to 
the  muses.  I  showed  them  how  easily  and  certainly  they  could  get  the 
precious  white  man's  town.  Other  places  were  rapidly  drawing  the  very 
people  we  wanted,  though  they  lacked  our  attractions.  Land-holders 
all  over  the  country,  whose  homes  had  become  repulsive  to  them  as  resi- 
dences, wanted  homes  which  would  give  them  religious,  educational  and 
social  advantages.  The  Hill  offered  these  in  a  transcendent  degree.  It 
was  objected  that  the  College  and  Seminary  had  not  surplus  money  with 
which  to  make  a  land  speculation.  I  replied  that  very  little  was  needed ; 
the  whole  work  could  be  done  with  a  little  cash  and  some  use  of  credit 
by  prudent  combination.  The  College  owned  a  hundred  acres,  the 
Seminary  forty-eight  acres.  I  owned  one  hundred  acres,  and  offered  to 
put  it  into  such  a  combination  without  charging  anybody  a  cent.  Dr. 
Atkinson  owned  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  was  ready  to  put 
his  into  the  combination.  I  urged  the  formation  of  a  simple  improve- 
ment company,  with  the  College  and  Seminary  as  leading  members,  and 
that  it  secure  the  adhesion  of  all  adjacent  land-holders  who  were  solvent, 
taking  of  these  pledges :  First,  not  to  sell  an  inch  of  these  lands  to  any 
negro  or  pauperized  white  man ;  second,  to  concur  in  the  sale  of  build- 
ing lots  on  the  parts  most  adjacent  to  the  institutions,  each  proprietor 
fixing  his  own  price.  Next,  the  association  must  prepare  itself  to  pur- 
chase, as  a  last  resort,  such  adjacent  lands  of  insolvent  or  unfriendly 
proprietors  as  would  otherwise  be  sold  to  negroes  or  untrustworthy 
whites,  the  object  being  to  secure,  not  ownership,  but  control  of  all  the 
adjacent  lands  in  danger  of  occupancy  by  this  ringtown  of  negroes.  I 
was  assured  that  this  could  be  done  with  the  use  of  one  thousand  dollars 
cash,  and  some  credit.  Liberal  measures  should  be  at  once  adopted  to 
attract  such  families  as  we  desired.  If  necessary  College  and  Seminary 
should  give  away  good  alternate  building  lots,  and  invite  the  private 
members  to  do  the  same,  until  there  is  enough  of  a  village  to  create  its 
own  succession.  This  succession  would  then  propagate  itself.  Thence- 
forward, the  plan,  instead  of  costing  money,  would  bring  a  good  deal 
of  money  to  the  College  and  Seminary  and  priv^ate  members.  I  sug- 
gested, instead  of  sale,  ground  rents  on  long  terms,  because  this  would 
28 


434         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

retain  in  the  hands  of  the  two  Boards  perpetual  power  to  prevent  the 
after  sale  of  any  lot  to  a  negro,  or  mean  white  person,  or  its  abuse  for  a 
liquor  shop,  or  the  like. 

"I  found  but  one  supporter  in  either  Board,  Dr.  Atkinson.  Both 
refused  to  consider  my  plan,  and  that  contemptuously.  Like  Mr.  Cal- 
houn, I  was  in  advance  of  my  age ;  and  so  was  dubbed  a  visionary. 
The  two  Boards  would  do  nothing,  the  negro  tow^n  came  and  en- 
veloped the  two  institutions.  I  was  justified  by  events.  In  1895  the 
authorities  of  the  two  institutions  are  anxious  to  get  a  white  village. 
It  is  too  late.  They  have  gotten  about  a  half  a  dozen  dwellings.  In 
1875  they  might  have  gotten  two  hundred.  Hampden-Sidney  would 
long  ago  have  been  connected  with  Farmville  by  electric  cars,  and 
would  have  had  its  own  water,  gas  and  electric  plants.  The  removal 
of  the  Seminary  would  never  have  been  agitated.  Well !  I  did  not 
utter  a  murmuring  word,  and  worked  on  for  the  Seminary  as  hard  as 
ever;  but  no  mortal  man  could  avoid  some  discouragement  from  the 
conviction  that  he  was  giving  his  life  to  an  enterprise  with  a  heavy 
incubus." 

He  tells  us  again,  in  his  own  strong  and  elaborate  way,  that 
his  influence  with  the  Seminary  Board  had  declined ;  that  he 
had  ceased  to  counsel ;  and  that  the  control  of  the  institution 
had  passed  to  other  hands,  and  that  he  was,  therefore  no  longer 
quite  so  wedded  to  it. 

He  shows  us,  too,  that  he  had  been  wounded  deeply  by  the 
words  of  some  of  his  colleagues  in  the  Faculty,  in  a  conference 
with  the  Board  on  the  subject  of  fixing  the  day  for  the  opening 
of  the  session  about  the  middle  of  September,  instead  of  the 
middle  of  August.  Dr.  Dabney  advocated  the  later  date,  on 
the  ground  that  the  region  around  Hampden-Sidney  had 
become  malarious.  Brethren  in  the  Faculty  somewhat  bluntly 
intimated  that  his  representations  were  grossly  contrary  to  fact. 
It  was  never  his  habit  to  reply  in  such  circumstances.  He  did 
not  reply  then.  He  believed  that  the  facts  were  all  on  his  side. 
Li  his  talks  before  the  Board  he  had  had  the  students  in  mind, 
most  of  whom  came  from  the  up-country,  and  '"had  shown  a 
tendency  to  malaria  during  the  first  weeks  of  the  sessions.' 
But  he  himself,  his  sons  and  several  of  his  neighbors,  had  been 
sufferers  from  malaria  for  several  years.  Coming  down  from 
the  up-country  to  his  post  in  August,  he  had  "every  year  felt 
the  stealthy  approach  of  the  blood  poison,  one  autumn  dumb 
chills,  another  slight  intermittent  fever,  another  what  Dr. 
Eggleston  called  catarrhal  fever,"  which  his  Austin  experience 
subsequently  enabled  him  to  identify  as  dangue  fever,  then  an 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     435 

agonizing  sciatica,  which  Dr.  Cabell  told  him  "was  nothing 
but  a  malarial  symptom."  His  trip  to  Europe  postponed  the 
crash,  but  it  was  to  come  with  a  vengeance  in  1882.  He  never 
held  any  grudge  against  these  brethren.  Far  from  it,  he  hon- 
ored and  loved  them ;  but  he  was  not  able  to  forget  what  had 
been  said.  His  own  subsequent  physical  history  kept  it  fresh. 
It  seems  to  have  had  its  small  modicum  of  weight  in  his  decision 
to  leave  the  Seminary. 

"About  1882  another  discouragement  arose  in  connection  with  the 
future  of  the  Seminary.  Our  Assembly  of  that  year  vohmteered  an 
overture  to  the  Northern  Assembly,  sitting  in  Springfield,  111.,  intended 
to  bring  about  permanent  'fraternal  relations,'  with  an  annual  inter- 
change of  embassies  and  compliments.  Our  men  resolved  that,  aban- 
doning no  principle,  they  retracted  all  reproachful  language  against  the 
others.  This,  of  course,  was  a  piece  of  inconsistency.  We  had  steadily 
charged  them,  strictly  on  principle,  with  defection,  usurpation  and  per- 
secution. Certainly  these  charges  contain  reproach,  accusation ;  and  it 
was  impossible  for  us  to  retract  the  reproach  without  abandoning  the 
principle.  But  our  Assembly  promised,  if  the  other  would  pass  the 
same  resolution,  there  should  be  reconciliation,  and  the  perpetual  inter- 
change should  begin.  The  Northern  Assembly  professed  to  pass  the 
resolution,  and  telegraphed  to  Atlanta  that  they  had  done  so.  But 
they  also  passed  another  enactment,  resolving  that  this  did  not  withdraw 
any  charge  of  treason  or  rebellion  against  us.  Our  Moderator,  Dr. 
Smoot,  received  a  private  dispatch  from  Springfield,  warning  him  to 
go  slow  because  of  this.  Dr.  Smoot  gave  this  caution  to  our  Assem- 
bly's committee ;  but  nothing  would  check  them ;  they  went  on  to  pre- 
pare their  enactment  that  the  reconciliation  was  now  complete,  and  our 
embassy  was  appointed.  After  this  was  done,  and  the  action  of  the 
Springfield  Assembly  had  become  known,  the  conviction  was  inevitable 
that  intelligent  men  could  have  been  betrayed  into  such  weakness  only 
by  a  hankering  after  an  early  fusion  with  the  Yankees.  Leading  men 
in  the  church  told  us  freely  that  this  was  so.  The  church  seemed  to 
me  to  be  bent  on  committing  suicide.  This  brought  me  to  a  fearful 
stand  as  to  my  own  future  in  the  Seminary:  First,  I  knew  that  when 
it  became  a  Yankee  institution,  under  Yankee  church  government,  the 
rebel  and  traitor  Dabney  would  not  be  retained  there  as  professor,  but 
would  be  kicked  out  ignominiously  on  the  approach  of  old  age.  Second, 
if  I  were  tolerated,  our  Seminary  would  sink  into  a  contemptible  decline 
by  our  students  going  off  to  Northern  seminaries,  after  their  gaudy 
and  meretricious  baits.  They  had  done  so  from  Dr.  Rice's  death  until 
the  insolence  of  the  Abolitionists  had  perforce  stopped  the  stream, 
about  1855.  Even  the  devoted  and  saintly  Sampson  had  felt  this  slight 
so  deeply,  that  in  1853,  while  begging  me  to  come  to  his  help,  he  was 
resolved  to  stand  it  only  one  more  year;  if  the  stream  did  not  then 


436         Life  axd  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

turn,  he  should  in  1854  quit  the  Seminary  forever.  In  that  year  he  did 
quit — to  go  to  heaven.  These  thoughts  gave  me  a  long  season  of  the 
deepest  and  bitterest  distress  I  ever  felt,  except  the  fall  of  the  Con- 
federacy and  the  bereavement  of  my  children.  I  cared  comparatively 
little  for  the  ruin  of  my  ovi^n  position.  Fortunately,  I  now  had  an 
independent  home.  The  apparent  infatuation  and  self-destruction  of  my 
own  church  were  what  wrung  my  heart ;  but  I  resolved  again  to  take 
no  step,  to  endure  all  things,  and  hope  all  things,  until  Providence 
should  shut  me  up  to  suitable  action. 

"Finally  came  a  complete  break-down  in  health.     At  the  middle  of 
August,  1882,  I  came  as  usual  from  'Red  Hill'  to  the  Seminary,  leaving 
my  family  at  the  former  place.     About  the  end  of  September,  I  went 
to  Lynchburg  to  spend  the  Sabbath  preaching  for  Dr.  W.  L.  Hall ;  over- 
exerted myself  by  a   long  horseback  ride   to   'Red  Hill'   and  back  to 
Lynchburg  on  Monday,  suffered  great  fatigue  in  consequence  Monday 
evening,  and  at  the  house  of  Major  Thomas  J.  Kirkpatrick  had,  that 
night,  a  severe  ague,  followed  by  a  high  fever.     Next  morning,  certain 
that  I  was  destined  to  some  hard  sickness,  I  returned  to  my  home  at 
the  Seminary    (October  ist)    with  intermittent  fever  well   established. 
Even  that  day  I  heard  a  recitation,  but  that  was  the  end  of  work  for 
many  a  long  day.     Thenceforward  I  took  my  bed,  extremely  ill,  with 
none  of  my  family  to  nurse  me  except  Lewis,  then  a  youth,  assisted  by 
the    housekeeper.      My    wife    reached    me    about    Friday.      The    fever 
rapidly  became  congestive,  with  some  delirium.     A  chronic  catarrh  of 
the  nostrils  had  for  some  time  set  up  a  tendency  to  bleeding  at  the 
nose.     This  now  probably  saved  my  brain  from  destruction ;  for  when- 
ever I  vomited,  which  was  often  and  violently,  there  was  considerable 
hemorrhage  from  the  nose,  partially  relieving  the  congestion.     I  was 
treated  with  enormous  doses  of  quinine  and  with  condurango.     These 
subdued  the  fever  by  Saturday  night.    I  lay  most  of  that  night  sleepless, 
perfectly   free   from   pain,   bathed  in   perspiration,   weak  and  prostrate 
as  a  wet  rag,  but  with  my  mind  entirely  calm  and  perfectly  sane  and 
conscious,  too  weak  to  be  capable  of  appetite  or  of  any  emotion  of  either 
desire  of  life  or  fear  of  death,  but  quietly  enjoying  a  negative  pleasure 
of  release  from  violent  pain  and  burning  fever.     On  Sabbath  morning 
I  was  thought  so  much  better  that  everybody  went  to  church,  leaving 
me  to  my  wife's  care.    I  then  had  an  experience  of  which  I  am  as  certain 
as  I  am  of  my  existence,  but  which  I  cannot  explain.     As  I  lay  on  my 
bed,   in  this  easy,  calm  and  rational   state  I   heard,   for  a  considerable 
time,  hymn  after  hymn  of  soft  and  sweet  sacred  music,  coming  appa- 
rently from  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Bocock's.    There  was  some  kind 
of  soft  instrument,  accompanied  by  sweet  female  voices.     I  could  never 
remember  the  tunes,  though  I  had  a  faint  impression  that  one  was  a 
very  sweet  hymn,  new  to  me,  which  I  had  heard  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
in  London,  in- 1880.     I  called  my  wife  to  enjoy  the  sweet  music  with 
me,  and  asked  her  if  it  might  not  be  some  one  of  the  girls  of  the  neigh- 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     437 

borhood  singing  thus  for  my  enjoyment.  She  declared  she  heard 
nothing.  I  asked  her  to  go  to  the  back  porch  and  watch  Mrs.  Bocock's 
house,  and  learn  whether  the  music  did  not  come  thence.  She  went, 
watched,  listened,  and  declared  there  was  no  music,  that  the  house  was 
closed,  and  all  the  family  gone  to  church.  After  a  time  the  music 
ceased,  leaving  me  much  pleased  and  refreshed.  Such  are  the  dry 
facts.  What  is  the  explanation?  May  it  be  that  I  had  come  so  near 
death,  the  vail  which  separates  us  from  the  spirit  world  was  a  little 
lifted,  so  that  I  heard  the  sweet  faint  echoes  of  the  heavenly  choirs? 
Or,  can  it  be  that  this  strange  music  was  the  deceitful  result  of  some 
morbid  celebral  action  in  my  own  brain,  now  relaxing  from  its  tension? 
I  assert  no  opinion.     I  know  the  facts. 

"Relations  and  friends  wrote  me  kind  letters  congratulating  me  on 
my  recovery.  I  sent  back  polite  thanks,  but  sometimes  added:  'I  much 
doubt  whether  I  am  to  be  congratulated.  I  had  gotten  so  close  to  the 
river  of  death  that  all  the  pain  and  trouble  of  crossing  over  were  vir- 
tually done  with.  Friends,  in  their  kindness,  pulled  me  back  to  life  so 
that  I  shall  have  all  the  trouble  of  the  hard  and  rough  descent  to  go 
over  again' — a  prediction  that  has  been  fulfilled  three  times — in  1885, 
in  1890,  and  in  1895,  with  awful  suffering,  and  yet  I  have  not  crossed 
over.  What  ne.xt?  I  hope  that  next  time  God  will  grant  me  a  quick  and 
easy  passage. 

"During  the  rest  of  October  I  seemed  to  convalesce,  though  the 
violent  medication  resulted  in  a  great  disturbance  of  the  kidney  func- 
tion, which  for  a  time  greatly  alarmed  my  physician.  About  the  first 
of  November  I  suffered  a  painful  relapse,  with  a  cold,  which  developed 
into  bronchitis,  with  some  symptoms  of  pneumonia  and  pleurisy.  Again 
I  had  a  painful  struggle  for  life.  In  January  I  resumed  teaching  my 
classes,  and  continued  my  work,  without  farther  incident,  to  the  end  of 
the  session.  It  now  appeared  that  I  was  to  become,  like  Dr.  Atkinson, 
another  instance  of  the  tendency  of  malaria,  long  continued,  to  generate 
pulmonary  disease.  The  Board,  at  its  meeting,  took  no  note  of  the 
danger  through  which  I  was  passing,  made  no  offer  of  succor.  I  myself 
had  no  plan,  nor  purpose  formed,  except  just  to  stay  on  and  fall  at  my 
post ;  but  a  few  days  afterwards,  a  strange  providence  happened.  I 
was  astonished  and  almost  frightened  by  a  telegram  from  Col.  Ashbel 
Smith,  President  of  the  Regents  of  the  projected  Texas  University, 
saying  that  I  had  been  elected  professor  of  Philosophy,  with  a  salary  of 
four  thousand  dollars  a  year.  I  barely  knew  that  such  an  institution  was 
on  foot,  was  not  a  candidate,  and  did  not  know  that  my  name  was 
before  them.     A  few  days  later  I  received  the  following  letter: 

"Evergreen,  Cedar  Bayou  Post-Office, 

,,„       _     _  "H.ARRis  County,  Texas,  May  9,  1883. 

"Rev.  Dr.  Dabncy,  D.  D. 

"Dear  Sir  :  I  had  the  honor  to  send  to  you  from  Austin  a  telegram 
apprising  you  of  your  appointment  as  Professor  of  Moral  and  Mental 


438         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev. 

Philosophy  in  the  University  of  Texas.  I  did  not  remain  in  Austin 
long  enough  to  receive  an  answer  to  my  telegram.  I  trust  that  it  will 
suit  your  convenience  and  wishes  to  accept  the  appointment. 

"The  following  is  the  list  of  the  gentlemen  selected  by  the  Regents 
of  the  University  to  be  professors,  so  far  as  selection  has  yet  been 
made. 

"J.  W.  Mallet,  Physics  and  Chemistry. 

"M.  W.  Humphreys,  Latin  and  Greek  Languages  and  Literature. 

"Leslie  Waggoner,  English  Language,  Literature  and  History. 

"H.  Tallichet,  Modern  Languages. 

"W.  Leroy  Brown,  Mathematics. 

"O.  M.  Roberts  and  Judge  Gould,  Jurisprudence  and  Law. 

"Yourself,  . 

"Of  course,  additional  professors  and  assistants  will  be  hereafter 
selected.  In  the  additional  selection  the  Regents  desire  the  counsel 
and  cooperation  of  the  members  of  the  Faculty  already  appointed,  in 
order  to  secure  the  harmony  among  the  professors  indispensable  to  the 
success  of  the  University. 

"The  University  will  be  opened  for  instruction  on  the  15th  of  Sep- 
tember next.  Much  work  is  before  the  Regents  and  the  Faculty  in 
organizing  the  several  departments  in  detail,  and  in  determining  on  what 
shall  be  the  requirements  for  the  admission  of  students  into  the  Uni- 
versity, and  in  drawing  up  a  general  statement  for  the  information  of 
the  public. 

"As  it  is  scarcely  practicable  for  most  of  the  professors  elected  to 
visit  Austin  at  this  period  of  the  scholastic  year,  the  Board  of  Regents, 
by  resolution,  have  requested  me  to  invite  the  several  professors  to  meet 
me  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  confer  on  the  several  matters  that  may 
claim  attention.  Accordingly,  I  expect  to  arrive  in  Nashville  on  the 
17th  instant.  I  respectfully  beg  you  will  meet  with  us  at  that  time.  I 
propose  to  stop  at  the  Maxwell  House. 

"Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"■■Ashbel  Smith, 
"President  Board  of  Rcgoits,  University  of  Texas. 

"The  declared  policy  of  the  original  Board  of  Regents  was  to  use 
what  revenues  they  had  in  procuring  the  best  talent  and  experience, 
so  that  the  students  might  pursue  the  essential  studies  of  a  well-rounded 
education  under  the  direct  influence  of  master  minds.  That  Board  was, 
in  the  main,  a  body  of  high  and  broad-minded  gentlemen. 

"This  call  raised  very  grave  questions:  as  to  church  interests;  as 
to  family  interests ;  and  as  to  questions  of  health.  I  was  unacquainted 
with  the  climate  of  Austin :  whether  it  was  far  enough  up  the  country 
and  west  to  enjoy  that  immunity  from  fevers  and  that  dry  air  so  fav- 
orable to  bronchitis.     I  was  much  perplexed. 

"In  a  day  or  two.  Dr.  J.  D.  Eggleston  called,  evidently  to  talk  about 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  ix  Uxiox  Semixary.     439 

this  Texas  removal.  I  saw  that  he  was  anxious  to  discuss  it  from  the 
health  point  of  view.  So  I  asked  him  to  speak  out  frankly.  He  then 
said  clearly  that  if  Austin  proved  a  warmer,  drier  and  non-malarial 
residence.  I  ought  by  all  means  to  go,  if  I  wished  to  live.  He  stated 
in  the  neighborhood  that  I  was  travelling  precisely  Dr.  Atkinson's  road 
to  the  grave,  about  two  years  behind  him,  if  I  remained  there.  Dr. 
Atkinson  was  then  nearly  dead.  I  went  to  the  University  of  Virginia 
and  consulted  Dr.  Mallet,  who  had  been  to  Austin  prospecting.  At 
the  end  of  May,  I  went  to  Austin  myself,  interviewed  the  Board,  made 
many  inquiries,  and,  after  deep  hesitation  and  much  prayer,  accepted 
the  post,  engaging  to  remove  to  Austin  by  September  isth,  to  begin  the 
first  session. 

"The  review  of  facts  which  I  have  given  explain  my  motives, 
which  were  complex,  the  last  and  conclusive  one  being  a  natural  desire 
to  avoid  death  and  finish  the  rearing  of  my  sons.  It  so  happened  that 
the  Directors  of  Union  Theological  Seminary  held  an  adjourned  meet- 
ing in  Richmond  in  July.  To  them  I  tendered  my  resignation,  supported 
by  a  letter  from  Dr.  Eggleston.  They  simply  accepted  it  at  once,  sug- 
gesting no  dissuasions  or  alternatives,  such  as  a  furlough  to  rest,  or  a 
year's  residence  in  the  South.  This  review  also  shows  that  my  decision 
was  absolutely  justified  in  the  conscientious  point  of  view.  I  had  gone  to 
the  extreme  in  maintaining  my  loyalty  to  the  Seminary,  almost  to  the 
verge  of  indirect  suicide.  Only  one  decision  was  possible  for  a  sensible 
and  self-respecting  man.  I  have  never  blamed  myself  for  it.  Indeed, 
the  Seminary  seemed  to  experience  no  check  from  my  withdrawal — a 
circumstance  well  calculated  to  teach  us  how  unimportant  we  are  in 
the  course  of  events,  and  to  humble  our  egotism." 

There  was  wide-spread  regret  at  his  leaving  the  Seminary. 
Many  felt  that  the  loss  of  him  was  irreparable.  That  the  action 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Seminary  presented  no  alterna- 
tive was  due  to  the  strength  with  which  the  health  reason  for 
his  removing  to  Texas  was  urged.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  a  very 
large  majority,  if  not  the  whole,  of  the  Board  looked  upon  his 
going  with  extreme  regret.  They  made  the  following  minute 
on  the  subject: 

"In  adopting  the  resolution  accepting  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Dabney, 
the  Board  of  Trustees  deem  it  suitable  to  place  on  record  the  following 
paper,  as  an  expression  of  their  views  and  feelings  touching  the  matter 
referred  to : 

"The  official  connections  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dabney  with  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary  began  in  1853,  when  he  became  Professor  of 
Ecclesiastical  History  and  Polity.  In  the  year  1859  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Chair  of  Theology,  which  he  continued  to  fill  until  it  was  made 
vacant  by  the  action  above  mentioned.     The  term  of  service,  therefore, 


440         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

has  extended  over  the  long  period  of  thirty  years.  We  bear  our  em- 
phatic testimony  to  the  fidelity,  prudence,  zeal  and  efficiency  with  which 
he  has  uniformly  labored  to  promote  the  great  interests  with  which  he 
was  so  largely  entrusted;  to  the  patient,  gentle,  considerate  kindness 
of  his  intercourse  with  the  students  at  all  times,  not  only  as  an  in- 
structor, but  as  a  friend,  to  comfort  them  in  their  sorrows,  and  help 
them  in  time  of  trouble — meeting,  in  return,  their  affectionate  con- 
fidence and  attachment ;  to  the  unfailing  courtesy  and  brotherly  kindness 
which  have  marked  his  intercourse  with  the  other  professors  of  the 
Seminary,  as  also  with  the  Board  of  Trustees ;  and  to  the  relations  of 
perfect  harmony  which  have  subsisted  between  them  all.  To  say,  then, 
that  his  eminent  abilities  and  'aptness  to  teach'  have  challenged  the 
admiration  of  the  whole  church,  is  simply  to  place  here,  on  our  records, 
a  statement  of  that  which  is  already  settled  in  the  minds  of  our  people. 

"From  all  this  may  be  clearly  seen  how  great  is  our  estimate  of  the 
value  of  Dr.  Dabney  to  the  Seminary  and  to  the  church,  and  how  deep 
is  our  sense  of  the  loss  they  sustain  by  his  departure. 

"To  terminate  a  relation  which  has  been  so  happy  and  useful  is 
felt  by  all  to  be  extremely  painful.  Under  other  circumstances,  the 
Board  of  Trustees  would  feel  it  to  be  their  duty  to  interpose  every 
possible  influence  which  might  dissuade  from  the  severance  of  bonds 
so  tender  and  strong.  But  the  considerations  presented,  in  the  letter 
addressed  to  us  by  Dr.  Dabney.  are  of  a  character  so  conclusive  as  to 
shut  us  up  to  the  necessity  of  accepting  the  resignation  which  has  been 
tendered. 

"We  desire  to  assure  our  beloved  brother  that,  notwithstanding  this 
formal  separation,  the  ties  of  Christian  confidence  and  affection,  which 
have  so  long  bound  us  together,  must  ever  remain  unbroken,  and  that 
into  whatsoever  field  of  labor  he  may  be  called  to  enter,  he  will  be 
followed  by  the  sympathies  and  prayers  of  the  church,  for  his  health, 
and  for  the  covenant  blessing  of  God  upon  himself  and  family,  now 
and  always,"  ° 

That  his  Presbytery  of  West  Hanover  looked  on  his  going 
from- them  with  sorrow  is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from 
the  minutes  of  West  Hanover : 

"Olivet,  August  25,  1883. 

"The  committee  appointed  to  respond  to  Dr.  Dabney's  request  to 
be  excused  for  absence  from  this  meeting  of  Presbytery,  and  also  to  be 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Central  Texas,  offered  the  following 
paper,  which  was  adopted : 

"Whereas,  Rev  R.  L.  Dabney.  D.  D.,  has  been  called  by  Providence 
to  remove  from  the  bounds  of  this  Presbytery  to  another  field  of  labor, 

°  Records  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  in 
Prince  Edward  county,  Va.,  from  1856  to ,  pp.  120,  121. 


Last  Stadium  of  His  Course  in  Union  Seminary.     441 

we  take  this  occasion  to  express  our  deep  sorrow  at  losing  his  able 
counsels  and  personal  influence^;  and  in  parting  with  him  we  feel  that 
no  words  of  ours  are  needed  to  commend  one  'whose  praise  is  in  all 
the  churches,'  and  whose  life  and  teachings  have  left  their  deep  impress 
on  the  character  and  ministry  of  nearly  all  the  members  of  this  Pres- 
bytery, as  well  as  of  many  others.     And — 

"Whereas,  Dr.  Dabney  has  asked  to  be  excused  from  attendance  on 
this  meeting  of  Presbytery,  and  also  to  be  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery 
of  Central  Texas ;  therefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  I.  That  he  be,  and  is  hereby,  excused  from  attendance 
on  this  meeting  of  Presbytery,  with  our  profound  regret  that  we  cannot 
have  him  once  more  with  us  as  a  fellow-worker. 

"Resolved,  2.  That  he  be  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Central 
Texas,  with  the  fervent  prayers  that  the  blessing  of  God  may  go  with 
him  to  his  new  field  of  labor,  giving  him  speedy  and  complete  restoration 
of  health,  and  grace,  mercy  and  peace,  abundantly  and  continually." 

Protests  against  his  leaving  Union  Seminary  for  Texas  came, 
indeed,  from  many  quarters,  as  letters  make  clear. 

His  departure  from  Hampden-Sidney  and  from  Virginia  was 
attended  by  many  burdensome  details,  and  one  untoward  acci- 
dent. He  spent  most  of  the  summer  in  winding  up  his  affairs 
in  Prince  Edward,  and  in  removing  his  belongings,  for  the 
most  part,  to  Red  Hill,  his  estate  in  Amherst  county.  Just 
when  they  were  about  ready  to  leave  Hampden-Sidney  Mrs. 
Dabney  suffered  a  bad  fall.  They  had  finished  their  packing, 
and  were  stopping  for  a  day  or  two  in  a  neighboring  house. 
One  evening  after  tea,  she  insisted  on  returning  to  their  cottage 
to  inspect.  He  was  crippled  with  sciatica.  She  went  alone, 
against  his  protest.  While  roaming  around  the  deserted  cham- 
bers in  a  reverie,  she  fell,  sustaining  severe  injuries.  She  was 
soon  carried  tenderly  to  the  other  house,  and  given  the  most 
immediate  possible  medical  attention.  They  were  thus  kept 
at  Plampden-Sidney  nearly  a  month  longer  than  they  had 
planned.  Mrs.  Dabney  gradually  improved,  but  went  to  Red 
Hill  on  two  crutches,  and  to  Austin  in  the  fall  with  one.  She 
had  fallen  into  a  pit  about  seven  feet  deep.  Her  husband 
regarded  her  ultimate  recovery  from  this  fearful  fall  as  a  special 
blessing  of  Providence  on  a  sound  constitution. 

Dr.  Dabney  employed  three  weeks  in  the  later  summer  in  a 
last  visit  to  the  Red  Sulphur  Springs,  whose  cleansing  and 
soothing  waters  he  hoped  would  set  him  up  for  his  labors  in 
the  coming  session.    At  that  place  he  was  troubled,  for  the  first 


442         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

time,  by  gravel  from  the  bladder,  a  thing  which  proved  to  have 
a  dreadful  meaning  for  him  in  subsequent  years.  Even  then 
was  beginning  the  formation  of  a  calculus  that  was  to  bring 
excruciating  suffering,  and,  in  its  train  blindness.  "The  solids 
dissolved  in  this  mineral  water  evidently  united  with  the  morbid 
elements  produced  by  the  heroic  medication  of  the  autumn 
previous." 

In  the  opening  of  the  next  chapter,  we  shall  find  him  in 
Austin,  the  beautiful  little  capital  of  the  Empire  State  of  the 
South. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IN  CONNECTION  WITH  THE  UNIJ'ERSITY  OF  TEXAS. 
(1883-1894.) 

Austin  :  The  Society  there  and  Dr.  Dabney's  Friends. — The  Kind 
OF  Home  he  Enjoyed  there. — His  Great  Work  for  the  Univer- 
sity OF  Texas  :  By  Class-Room  Work  and  Life  ;  by  his  Writ- 
ings, Philosophical,  Sociological  and  Political,  Theological 
and  Ecclesiastical,  Literary. — Testimony  of  Mr.  Gregory  and 
OF  Mr.  Wooldridge. — View  of  the  Relation  of  the  University  of 
Texas  to  the  Denominational  Colleges  of  the  State. — The 
Austin  School  of  Theology  and  his  Post  therein. — Services  in 
THE  Behalf  of  the  Church  at  Large. — Occasional  Preaching. — 
Increasing  Physical  Infirmities;  Severe  Illness  in  1890;  Total 
Blindness. — Severance  from  the  University. — Universal  In- 
terests.—  Voluminous  Correspondence.  —  Sons  xA.lready  Promi- 
nent and  Successful  Men. 

DR.  DABNEY'S  going  to  Texas  evoked  many  protests.  At 
some  of  them  he  was  much  amused.  For  instance,  many 
urged  the  "fearful  social  sacrifice  of  leaving  old  Virginia  to  go 
and  live  in  a  rough,  boorish,  heterogeneous,  frontier  place" ;  but 
he  anticipated  finding  a  good  deal  of  the  best  of  old  Virginia  in 
the  Southwest,  and  in  that  anticipation  he  was  not  mistaken. 
Heterogeneity  of  population  he  did  find  in  the  great  State  of 
Texas, "and  in  its  elegant  little  capital  of  twelve  thousand 
population.  There  true  Southerners  predominated,  however, 
neither  "Africanized"  nor  "Mahonized."  The  most  distin- 
guished of  these  received  Dr.  Dabney  at  once  into  their  homes 
and  hearts.  He  soon  had  a  host  of  friends,  who.  having 
admired  him  for  his  abilities  as  a  theologian  and  a  philosopher, 
his  fame  as  a  patriot,  and  his  virtues  as  a  citizen,  learned  to  love 
him  for  his  many  private  excellencies.  He  never  forgot  his  old 
Virginia  friends'.  He  continued  to  love  the  very  red  gullies  in 
the  barren  fields  of  Prince  Edward.  Of^  Hampden-Sidney  he 
wrote  to  Mrs.  Judith  Spencer,  on  November  30,  1884:  "My 
interest  in  the  old  place  will  never  decline.  I  can  see  every 
spot,  every  corner  and  every  turn  in  the  road  just  as  clearly  as 
if  I  was  looking  at  them."     But  he  was  a  man  to  make  friends 


444         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

with  people  of  clean  lives,  high  aspirations,  and  noble  endeavor, 
wherever  he  found  them,  and  though  he  found  in  Austin 
"Northwest  Yankees,  Downeast  Yankees,  Germans,  Scotch, 
Swedes,  red-skinned  Mexicans,  negroes,  and  mulattoes  of  all 
degrees,  English,  French,  and  an  occasional  Spaniard,  wicked 
people,  good  people,  a  hotch-potch,"  he  found  many  South- 
erners of  the  nobler  sort.  Amongst  his  friends  in  Austin  may 
be  named  Judge  A.  S.  Walker,  Governor  Lubock,  ex-Governor 
Roberts,  Judges  Gould  and  Clarke,  Judge  Stayton,  Dr.  T. 
Wooten ;  in  Galveston,  Dr.  Charles  Trueheart,  and  his  brother, 
Mr.  Henry  Trueheart,  and  Judge  Pleasants ;  in  Gonzales, 
Colonel  Harwood,  etc.,  etc.  The  ministers  of  his  own  com- 
munion were  most  all  his  friends  as  well  as  his  admirers ;  there 
were  special  intimacies  between  him  and  particular  men,  how- 
ever, e.  g.  Dr.  A.  S.  King,  of  Waco ;  Rev.  S.  B.  Campbell,  of 
Lancaster ;  Mr.  McMurray,  of  Laredo ;  Mr.  William  Red,  Dr. 
W.  S.  Scott,  of  Galveston,  were  devoted  to  him. 

During  the  year  1883  to  1884,  Dr.  Dabney  purchased  a  good 
lot,  well  located,  only  two  blocks  from  the  L^niversity  grounds, 
and  erected  a  commodious  and  tasteful  cottage,  in  which  he 
lived  as  long  as  he  remained  in  Austin,  which  was  till  1895.  He 
and  Mrs.  Dabney  were  very  happy  to  begin  house-keeping 
again,  in  a  "new  house,  with  new  furniture,  a  new  cook  (a 
Swede),  and  with  'L'ncle  Warner,""  a  venerable  well-bred, 
intelligent  and  characterful  old  Mrginia  darkey,  whom  they 
had  carried  from  Hampden-Sidney  to  Austin  with  them.  Later 
on,  when  the  second  son.  Samuel  Brown  Dabney,  had  joined 
them  to  pursue  legal  studies  in  the  L'niversity  of  Texas,  they 
built  an  addition  designed  to  serve  him  as  a  study.  For  two  or 
three  years  after  the  removal  to  Texas,  their  youngest  son, 
Lewis,  lived  with  them,  pursuing  first  his  academical,  and  later, 
legal  studies,  in  the  University.  The  father  was  happy  in  the 
companionship  of  his  wife  and  his  sons.  They  were  young 
men  of  quite  uncommon  parts,  and  intelligence,  social  in  their 
instincts,  and  drew  to  the  house  many  of  the  brightest  young 
men  of  the  L'niversity.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  it  would  have  been 
hard  to  parallel  that  home  for  another  equally  remarkable  for 
wit,  intelligence,  strenuous  thinking,  and  vigorous  and  discrimi- 
nating discussion  of 'everything,  "from  the  cedar  tree  that  is  in 
Lebanon  unto  the  hyssop  that  springeth  out  of  the  wall,"  "also 
of  beasts  and  of  fowl,  and  of  creeping  things  and  of  fishes." 
also  of  questions  political,  social,  sociological  and  religious,  also 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.    445 

of  subjects  lunary,  stellar  and  cosmic,  for  these  young  men  were 
used  to,  and  in  company  with,  one  whose  mind  careered  around 
over  the  universe.  To  this  home  there  came  from  time  to  time 
also  many  of  the  godliest,  the  ablest  and  the  best  informed  men 
of  Austin  and  of  Texas. 

It  had  been  Dr.  Dabney's  original  plan  to  spend  his  summers 
in  Virginia,  and  at  Red  Hill,  in  Amherst  county.  This  plan  he 
put  into  operation  a  few  times,  but  the  distance  was  great, 
increasing  physical  infirmities  dictated  that  the  summers  should 
be  spent  elsewhere  with  a  view  to  recuperation,  and  finally  the 
project  was  altogether  abandoned. 

During  the  eleven  years  he  was  permitted  to  work  in  the 
University  of  Texas,  he  did  much  to  give  it  reputation,  and 
make  it  a  power  for  good.  His  chair  was  to  him  a  most  con- 
genial one,  that  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  and  Political 
Economy.  In  September,  1883,  he  began  teaching  his  course, 
in  temporary  quarters  in  the  old  Capitol,  removing  to  the 
University  building  in  January,  1884.  His  first  classes  were 
better  in  numbers  than  in  quality,  as  was  to  be  expected  in  a 
new  University,  fed  by  schools  of  no  higher  grade  than  existed 
in  Texas  at  that  time.  His  classes  never  became  relatively 
large.  The  community  which  supplied  the  students  was,  as  yet, 
too  crude,  in  spite  of  the  presence  of  a  few  persons  of  large 
intelligence  and  culture. 

But  his  numbers  grew  steadily  to  the  end.  The  first  year, 
he  organized  two  classes,  junior  and  senior — teaching  to  the 
junior  psychology  and  logic,  in  the  senior  a  history  of  philos- 
ophy, involving  a  critical  review  of  psychology,  practical  ethics, 
natural  theology,  and  political  economy.  The  next  year  he 
added  a  course  for  graduates,  in  which  the  three  departments 
of  his  chair  were  studied  more  fully.  After  about  nine  years, 
he  separated  political  philosophy  from  his  crowded  sessional 
course,  and  made  it  a  year's  course  by  itself.  In  this  latter 
department,  he  made  himself  acquainted  with  all  the  modern 
text-books  and  a  large  part  of  the  better  literature  of  a  more 
general  sort  bearing  on  the  subject,  but  he  never  found  "any 
more  recent  text-book  as  good  as  the  Frenchman,  Say's."  Dr. 
Dabney  had  been  used,  for  thirty  years,  to  teaching  men  of 
earnest  purpose,  most  of  them  already  degree  men  of  good 
colleges  and  universities  ;  he  was  himself  a  strenuous  man  ;  he 
despised  a  lazy  fellow.  Naturally,  he  made  his  course  a  he.avy 
one.     In  addition  to  his  lectures,  he  expected  his  students  to 


446         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

have  mastered  between  lectures  considerable  stretches  of  as- 
signed text-books.  Those  who  had  the  courage  to  undertake  his 
course,  and  the  persistence  to  continue  it,  were  immensely  de- 
veloped, and  looked  on  him  with  vast  admiration.  He  did  real 
training,  work  that  may  properly  be  called  University  work, 
informing  and  deepening  and  broadening.  It  may  be  safely 
said  that  no  one  of  his  colleagues  did  more  by  the  character  of 
his  teaching  to  give  a  just  and  solid  reputation  to  the  Uni- 
versity. Some  incidental  proof  of  this  will  appear  further 
on. 

During  these  years  he  prepared  the  manuscript  for  his  last 
great  book,  the  Practical  Philosophy.  This  book  Dr.  Dabney 
regarded  as  much  the  best  one  he  ever  wrote.  Certainly  he  was 
better  fitted  to  make  a  book  on  this  subject  than  any  other  man 
within  our  bounds.  His  original  talent  for  psychological  in- 
sight, his  keen  power  of  analysis,  his  constructive  genius,  his 
unswerving  adherence  to  the  truth  as  he  saw  it,  his  almost 
absolute  fearlessness  of  men,  in  saying  what  he  thought,  his 
caution  against  novelties  until  he  had  tried  them  by  all  possible 
criteria,  his  reverential  and  thorough  devotion  to  God's  psychol- 
ogy of  man  as  given  in  the  Scriptures,  his  exegetical  ability  to 
get  at  that  psychology  of  man,  his  long  years  of  active  and 
powerful  thinking  on  these  subjects — all  these  things  fitted  him 
to  produce  a  great  book  on  this  department  of  psychology.  In 
this  work,  entitled  Practical  Philosophy,  there  are  four  books. 
In  the  first  book,  we  have  "The  Psychology  of  the  Feelings 
Discussed."  In  the  second  book,  we  have  a  discussion  of  the 
"Will."  In  the  third  book,  we  have  a  discussion  of  the  various 
"Ethical  Theories,"  which  have  prevailed  more  or  less  widely, 
the  establishment  of  the  true  theory,  and  a  discussion  as  to  the 
extent  of  moral  obligation.  In  the  fourth  book,  we  have  "Ap- 
plied Ethics."  It  thus  appears  that  this  book  covers  the  most 
important  part  of  Philosophy — the  part  most  important  for 
preachers,  teachers,  and  all  others  who  are  to  shape  the  common 
life.  The  author's  method  is  much  like  that  employed  in  his 
previous  works.  It  was  ever  a  trait  of  his  to  look  at  all  the 
bearings  of  a  teaching,  to  test  it  by  its  legitimate,  logical  conse- 
quences. He  always  believed  that  the  tree  may  be  known  by  its 
fruits.  Like  Sampson,  too,  he  was  ever  somewhat  indifferent 
to  the  kinds  of  weapons  he  used  in  oft'ensive  warfare,  now  the 
jaw-bone  of  an  ass,  and  now  the  huge  pillars  of  the  temple. 
The  book  was  worked  up  as  lectures  to  his  University  classes, 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     447 

and  was  delivered  over  and  over  to  them.    It  was  not  published 
till  1896. 

Meanwhile,  a  constant  stream  of  articles  appeared  from  its 
distinguished  author,  philosophical  and  other  kinds.  In  1884, 
there  appeared  in  the  July  issue  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Rez'iew  an  article  of  thirty  pages  entitled,  "The  Emotions."  It 
was,  first  of  all,  a  most  trenchant  review  of  President  McCosh's 
work  on  "The  Emotions."  It  set  forth,  in  a  thoroughly  philo- 
sophical manner,  the  conditions  under  which  feelings  arise.  It 
made,  with  perfect  lucidity,  the  all-important  distinction  be- 
tween the  sensibilities  and  the  appetencies,  and  showed  that  the 
latter  rise  in  pairs.  It  gave  a  "tentative,"  but  wonderfully  fine 
classification  of  feelings.  In  December,  1885,  he  delivered  a 
public  lecture,  before  the  University  of  Texas  and  the  commu- 
nity of  Austin,  entitled,  "Commendation  of  the  Study  of 
Philosophy."  ^  He  took  up  the  grounds  on  which  mental  and 
moral  philosophy  are  disparaged,  viz.,  that  the  mind  and  its 
processes  are  not  observed  by  the  senses,  and,  therefore,  we 
have  no  sufficient  basis  of  facts  on  which  to  found  a  true  science 
save  of  phenomena  and  their  laws,  and  that  the  history  of 
philosophy  shows  that  it  has  never  reached  certainty.  He 
effectually  disposes  of  these  objections,  and  nobly  vindicates 
the  scientific  character  and  superior  dignity  and  importance  of 
his  department.  During  the  next  year,  he  prepared  a  paper 
designed  to  show  that  the  "teleological  argument"  is  valid  to 
prove  the  being  of  a  personal  and  rational  Creator.  This  paper, 
under  the  caption,  "Final  Cause,"  was  read  before  the  Victoria 
Institute,  London,  February  15,  1886,  and  was  received  with 
the  greatest  favor.  One  of  his  learned  critics  said  of  it,  "There 
have  been  few  papers  read  in  this  room  to  which  I  have  listened 
with  deeper  interest,  and  I  cannot  but  regard  it  as  a  most 
important  contribution  to  the  transactions  of  this  society." 
Another  said,  "It  seems  to  me  to  be  the  most  lucid  and  closely 
reasoned  essay  upon  the  subject  that  I  have  read."  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  this  essay,  of  less  than  a  score  of  pages,  contains  proxi- 
mately the  whole  reasoning  of  Janet  in  his  great  book  on  "Final 
Cause,"  and  a  good  deal  more  besides,  and  all  more  clearly  and 
powerfully  put  than  Janet  puts  it.-  In  the  Presbyterian  Quar- 
terly for  October,  1887,  Dr.  Dabney  published  an  article  headed 

^  This  is  found  in  the  Discussions,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  281  ff. 
^  See  it  in  Discussions,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  476  ff. 


448         Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"Spurious  Religious  Excitements,"  in  which  he  recalled  certain 
of  the  positions  made  in  his  psychology  of  the  feelings  published 
in  the  Quarterly  in  1884,  and  applied  particularly  the  distinction 
between  the  passive  feelings  and  the  spontaneous  appetencies, 
showing  that  the  emotions  of  taste,  or  the  mental  aesthetic,  the 
involuntary  emotion  of  self-blame,  or  remorse,  the  natural  self- 
interested  emotfons  of  fear,  hope,  and  desire  of  future  security 
and  enjoyment,  and  the  emotion  of  instinctive  sympathy,  may 
all  be  powerfully  excited  in  a  purely  carnal  heart ;  that  they 
often  are  so  stirred,  and  those  subject  to  them  persuaded  that 
they  are  subject  to  the  gracious  operations  of  God,  with  the 
result  of  subsequent  infidelity.  This  paper  ought  to  be  read  by 
most  ministers  once  a  year.  In  the  July  issue  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Quarterly,  1888,  he  published  an  article,  "Anti-Biblical 
Theory  of  Rights."  This  was  really  a  discussion  of  the 
Jacobin  Theory,  which  had  come,  within  the  last  sixty  years,  to 
be  the  prevailing  theory  in  our  own  country,  and  its  corollaries 
in  the  light  of  the  Bible.  The  theory  is  that  every  individual  is 
inalienably  entitled  to  all  the  franchises  and  functions  in  society 
enjoyed  by  any  other.  The  theory  involves  as  corollaries  :  First, 
there  can  be  no  just  imputation  of  the  consequences  of  conduct 
from  one  human  being  to  another  in  society ;  second,  no  adult 
person  can  be  justly  debarred  from  any  privilege  allowed  to 
any  other  person  in  the  order,  or  society,  except  for  conviction 
of  crime ;  third,  all  distincjtions  of  "caste"  are  essentially  and 
inevitably  wicked  and  oppressive ;  fourth,  of  course,  every  adult 
is  equally  entitled  to  the  franchise  of  voting  and  being  voted 
for,  and  all  restrictions  here,  except  for  the  conviction  of  crime, 
are  natural  injustice;  fifth,  equal  rights  and  suffrage  ought  to 
be  conceded  to  women  in  every  respect  as  to  men.  He  shows 
that  these  corollaries  are  inevitable,  and  that  they  logically  lead 
to  the  denial  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  just  as  the 
main  theory  does,  and  then  shows  how  the  church  should  adjust 
itself  to  such  an  anti-Bible  theory.  The  paper  constitutes  a 
terrific  arraignment  and  solemn  warning.  During  the  later 
'eighties  it  became  the  custom  of  the  Faculty  of  the  University 
of  Texas  to  have  at  commencement  a  discourse  from  a  member 
of  the  Faculty.  Dr.  Dabney  was  chosen  to  deliver  such  a  dis- 
course in  1889.^  His  subject  was  "Religion  and  Morality,  the 
Indispensable    Supports    of    Political    Prosperity."      Starting 

'  It  is  found  in  Discussions,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  536  ff. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     449 

with  a  condemnation  of  expediency  and  selfishness,  he  laid 
stress   upon   the   necessity   of   thorough   honesty    m   all    civic 
actions,  particularly  in  our  own  country,  on  account  of  universal 
suffrage    and  the  prevalence  of  the  spoils  system  as  between 
political 'parties,  and  the  subjugation  of  the  free  people  of  the 
South     The  style  of  this  oration  is  particularly  fine,  the  tone 
noble,  with  passages  of  peculiar  beauty  and  sublimity.     It  vvas 
nobly  delivered,  and  produced  profound  visible  effect  on  his 
audience      It  reminded  the  hearer  who  had  heard  the     New 
South  "  as  originally  delivered,  of  that  great  effort,  both  m 
the  general  tone  of  it  and  in  the  effect  produced.    However,  it 
does  not  equal  in  power  the  earlier  production.     In  October, 
1802    he  published  in  the  Presbyterian  Quarterly  a  paper  on 
the 'Tmmortalitv  of  the  Soul,"  which  comes  as  near  to  being  a 
philosophic  demonstration  as  anything  found  on  the  subject  in 
the  English  tongue,  perhaps.     In  ^1-^^.°"^!,:!^.  ^^^^f.l^f^/^?,  ^' 
produced  the  very  able  papers  on  "Civic  Ethics,     The  Phil- 
osophy   Regulative    of    Private    Corporations,      and    that    on 
-Monism  "The  two  former  of  these  should  be  widely  read  by 
legislators  and  statesmen;  the  last  was  read  before  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Christian  Philosophy,  November  3.  1887,  and 
should  be  read  bv  every  student  in  philosophy.    The  tone  o    all 
these  papers  may  be  fairly  exhibited  by  citing  the  nitroductory 
words  of  the^paper  on  "The  Philosophy  Regulative  of  Private 
Corporations" : 

"There  is  a  discriminating  conservatism  which  values  and  seeks  to 
preserve  the  principle  of  old  institutions,  and  wh.ch  und-tands    h 
conditions  of  their  value.     It  seeks  to  save  the  kernel,  even  at  the  ex 
pens    of    he  shell.    There  is  also  an  unthinking  conservatism,  which  by 
blTnd  association  of  ideas,  cleaves  to  the  form  of  institutions  once  valu- 
able overTooking  the  conditions  of  their  utility,  and  the  principles  which 
main   stable  u^der  changing   forms,  or  even  demands  notations  o 
form  in  order  to  remain  stable.     This  conservatism  seeks  to  keep  the 
sheU  It  °he  expense  of  the  kernel.     Such  is  often  the  temper  which 
tves  the  Amencan  people  to  regard  industrial  combination  with  ex- 
cessive  legislative  favor."  * 

These  papers  are  luminous  with  historical  illustration,  big 
wiS  n  ight'into  current  conditions,  n-^ferful  in  their  rea^oi^ 
ing,  fitted  to  inform  and  to  strengthen  the  mtelhgei  sttKle^it 
however  he_mayjtakej^ 

^  These  several  papers  may  be  found  in  the  Dismssions,  Vol.  III. 
29 


450        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

philosophical  writings  flowed  from  his  pen  in  this  period,  which 
need  not  be  named.  In  1887,  he  brought  out  the  second  and 
enlarged  edition  of  his  The  Sensualistic  Philosophy  of  the 
Nineteenth  Century  Considered,  a  valuable  work,  which  re- 
ceived notice  in  a  preceding  chapter.  By  these  philosophical 
writings,  he  did  much  to  give  honor  to  the  University  of  Texas. 
He  added  to  this  honor  also  by  his  sociological  writings  of 
the  period.  In  the  Texas  Revieiv,  of  1891,  appeared  an  article 
on  "The  Labor  Union,  the  Strike,  and  the  Commune."  It  is 
an  instructive  and  powerful  paper.    Of  the  strike  he  teaches : 

"If  the  equal  rights  of  other  laborers  to  accept  the  work  and  wages 
rejected  are  respected,  strikes  are  futile.  If  these  rights  are  obstructed 
by  force,  strikes  are  criminal  conspiracies.  And  our  point  is  that  the 
latter  is  their  logical  tendency.  Unfortunately,  the  frequency  of  these 
outrages  as  the  sequels  of  strife,  fully  confirms  the  charge.  In  fine, 
only  three  modes  are  possible  for  adjusting  the  wages  of  labor  and  the 
interest  of  capital.  One  is  to  leave  the  adjustment  under  equitable  laws, 
which  shall  hold  laborer  and  property-holder  equals,  to  the  great  law  of 
supply  and  demand.  The  second  is  to  have  the  government  fix  maxi- 
mum and  minimum  prices  by  statutes.  The  third  is  to  have  these  com- 
binations of  laborers  and  employers  against  each  other;  for  if  the  one 
combine,  of  course  the  others  will.  The  second  plan  is  mischievous 
despotism.  See  its  working  in  the  French  Revolution.  The  third  splits 
society  into  warring  factions,  and  tends  to  barbarism."    .    .    . 

"There  appears,  then,  no  remedy  except  in  the  firm  and  just  adminis- 
tration of  the  laws,  coupled  with  wise  and  equitable  commercial  and 
industrial  legislation  and  the  propagation  of  industry — economy  and 
contentment  amongst  the  people  by  means  of  Christian  principles. 
There  is  no  attitude  for  the  government  against  strikes  except  the  legal 
and  righteous  one.  If  operatives  choose  to  form  a  society  to  forward 
their  own  interests,  they  have  a  right  to  do  so,  provided  they  do  not 
infringe  other  people's.  If  the  society  chooses  to  quarrel  with  their 
own  bread  and  butter  by  rejecting  a  certain  work  at  certain  wages,  they 
have  a  right  to  do  so.  But  their  recent  employers  have  equal  right  to  go 
into  the  labor  market  and  hire  others  for  that  work  at  those  wages,  and 
all  other  laborers  have  equal  right  to  that  work  if  they  are  willing  to 
accept  the  wages. 

"The  moment  the  'union'  goes  an  inch  beyond  the  withdrawal — the 
moment  it  begins  to  obstruct,  terrorize,  or  beat  or  murder  the  employers 
and  the  new  employees — it  has  become  a  criminal  conspiracy ;  the  State 
should  put  it  down  with  as  prompt  and  firm  a  hand  as  they  would  put 
down  highway  robbery."  ° 

°  See  the  Discussions,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  294  fif. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     451 

He  finds  that  our  State  governments  are  slack  in  the  execu- 
tion of  their  duty  here,  and  asserts  that  it  has  already  become 
clear  to  the  thought  of  property,  that  when  the  hour  of  its 
forcible  defence  comes  the  militia  of  the  State  will  be  worthless, 
that  they  are  too  near  the  rioters ;  that  the  property-holder,  in 
the  hour  of  trial,  will  have  learned  to  think  of  his  State  as  the 
cypher,  the  Washington  government  as  the  only  power.  He 
fears,  as  the  surest  result  of  the  approaching  strife,  "the  com- 
plete practical  extinction  of  State  sovereignty,  and  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  federation  into  one  empire — that  we  shall  have 
an  empire  governed  by  the  bayonet."  His  detestation  of  some 
of  the  principles  at  the  basis  of  labor  unions  equalled  his  hatred 
of  some  of  those  at  the  basis  of  most  private  corporations. 

In  January  of  1892,  he  prepared  an  article  on  the  "Depres- 
sion of  American  Farming  Interests,"  in  which  he  showed  that 
this  depression  is  a  fact;  that  all  classes  of  Americans  are 
vitally  interested  in  this  depression,  and  that  a  remedy  ought 
to  be  sought  and  applied.  With  a  view  to  prescribing  the 
proper  remedy  he  goes  into  an  expose  of  the  causes  of  the  de- 
pression, finding  them  to  be,  not  in  the  limited  supply  of  the 
currency  in  circulation,  but  in  the  overthrow  of  the  old  labor 
system  of  the  South,  the  class  legislation  by  means  of  which 
rnonopolies  flourish  so  wantonly,  enormous  and  adversely  dis- 
criminating taxation,  and  the  protective  system  of  the  United 
States.  He  proposes  no  "quack  nostrums"  to  farmers  as  the 
remedies  of  their  wrongs.  What  he  does  pronounce  to  be  the 
remedies  are  "economical  government,  reduced  taxation,  the 
arrest  and  repeal  of  all  class  legislation,  and  a  swift  return  to 
strictly  revenue  tariffs."    He  asks  : 

"Will  the  great  producing  classes  see  their  true  remedy,  and  com- 
bine in  their  strength  to  exact  of  our  rulers  its  faithful  application? 
I  fear  not.  Impatience  misleads  many.  The  evil  is  chronic.  Safe  and 
wholesome  remedies  will  only  operate  slowly.  The  money  oHgarchy 
has  its  hired  advocates  everywhere  afield,  who  misdirect  the  views  of 
the  people.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  greatest  obstacles  to  true  reform 
lie  here ;  the  real  remedies  are  simple  and  honest,  but  the  political  mind 
of  America  is  largely  dishonest." 

Dr.  Dabney's  study  of  political  economy  and  treatment  of  the 
subjects  of  that  department  before  his  classes  led  him  to  reflect 
profoundly  on  the  subject  of  the  proper  kind  of  currency,  and 
on  the  proprietv  of  the  double  or  single  standard  by  which  our 


452        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

statesmen  have  been  so  long  vexed.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
year  1893  he  prepared  a  "hypothetical  law"  of  Congress,  pro- 
viding for  the  coining  of  both  silver  and  gold,  but  only  as 
commodities.  He  seems  to  have  contemplated  the  attempt  at 
its  publication  in  widely  circulating  secular  periodicals,  and  in 
the  event  of  failure  of  that,  putting  it  in  the  hands  of  individual 
Congressmen  already  interested  on  the  subject.  The  following 
letter  to  his  son.  President  Charles  W.  Dabney,  Ph.  D.,  of  the 
University  of  Tennessee,  indicates  his  attitude  on  the  main 
question,  as  well  as  his  aims  and  hopes  with  regard  to  his 
paper : 

"Austin,  March  24,  1893. 

"Dear  Charley:  What  have  you  done  with  my  manuscript  on  coin-, 
age?  Nothing,  I  reckon.  My  last  suggestion  to  you  was,  that  if  the 
editorial  Elohim  would  not  accept  it,  you  might  try  to  get  it  before 
Mr.  CarHsle,  through  his  and  your  friend,  Col.  William  Breckinridge. 
I  am  thoroughly  in  earnest  in  desiring  to  get  these  views  under  the 
attention  of  the  powers  that  be ;  not  from  conceit,  but  from  wisdom. 
/  know  these  things :  The  present  system,  if  continued,  will  send  our 
currency  to  the  devil.  Second,  Mr.  Cleveland  is  handicapped  by  the 
folly  and  villainy  of  the  major  mass  of  his  own  party.  Third,  this 
corrupt  mass  is  going  to  avenge  itself  on  him  for  his  anti-silver  opinions 
by  checkmating  his  tariff  reform.  Thus  all  the  hope  begotten  by  his 
election  will  be  blasted.  The  Democratic  party  will  be  dissolved  by  its 
own  putrescence.  Fourth,  Mr.  Cleveland  will  never  be  able  to  collect 
support  enough  to  apply  the  only  other  adequate  remedy,  viz.,  the  single- 
standard  law  enacted  by  the  Radicals  in  1873.  The  party  that  enacted 
it  carries  too  much  odium.  It  follows  from  these  four  propositions  that 
the  only  hope  is  to  adopt  a  new  expedient,  neither  'single  standard  nor 
Bland  law,  just  and  simple  enough  to  ascend  clear  above  present  par- 
tisan issues,  and  thus  supersede  and  evacuate  them.  I  have  reflected 
maturely.  The  plan  will  have  to  be,  in  the  main,  the  one  I  have  out- 
lined ;  and  I  do  not  think  any  financier  can  get  very  far  away  from 
my  details  without  damaging  the  plan. 

"Now,  if  the  manuscript  has  already  gone  to  Colonel  Breckinridge, 
send  this  letter  after  it  to  explain  it.  If  you  have  done  nothing  with  the 
manuscript,  then  send  it  at  once  to  the  Hon.  M.  D.  Harter,  of  Ohio, 
M.  C,  and  send  this  letter  along  with  it  as  an  explanation.  The  motion 
which  he  made  in  Congress  concerning  the  free  coinage  of  silver  shows 
that  he  appreciates  the  crisis  and  the  only  remedy.  He  proposes  the 
free  coinage  of  silver  henceforth,  the  new  coins  not  to  pass  as  dollars, 
but  as  weights.  This  would  give  the  country  two  different  kinds  of 
silver  coin,  which  is  not  desirable. 

"I  hope  you  are  all  better.     Faithfully  yours, 

"R.  L.  Dabney." 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     453 

The  main  ideas  in  his  "hypothetical  law,"  and  in  his  elaborate 
and  able  argument  for  it,  are  found  in  the  writings  on  the  same 
subject  of  that  profound  political  economist,  Jean  Baptiste  Say, 
and  have  every  appearance  of  correctness  and  solidity.  In  the 
Houston  Post  of  March  1892  he  had  had  an  article  entitled, 
"The  Dollar  of  the  Daddies,"  in  which  he  had  combatted  the 
popular  sophistries  of  the  Silver  Democrats  in  favor  of  their 
hobby,  and  supported  the  doctrine  of  the  single  standard.  It  is 
confidently  believed  that  in  these  papers  Dr.  Dabney  exhibits 
real  statesmanship,  of  the  type  that  John  C.  Calhoun  would 
have  recognized  and  approved  as  worthy  of  honor.  In  1894, 
he  produced  an  elaborate  paper  on  the  "Economic  Effects  of 
the  Former  Labor  System  of  the  Southern  United  States." 
The  tone  of  this  scholarly,  elaborate  and  powerful  paper,  as 
well  as  its  purpose,  is  fairly  set  forth  in  these  opening  words : 

"The  future  must  learn  chiefly  from  the  past.  There  is  no  truth 
better  established  in  science  than  this:  that  every  fact  and  every  law 
may  have  future  value  from  some  useful  application,  perhaps  wholly 
unforeseen.  The  wise  scientific  man.  therefore,  carefully  stores  up  every 
authentic  discovery,  like  the  experienced  householder,  in  the  confidence 
that  it  will  be  useful  at  a  future  day,  though  now  apparently  useless. 
The  circumstance  that  this  fact  formerly  existed  in  conditions  not  likely 
to  be  ever  again  exactly  renewed,  does  by  no  means  show  it  valueless. 
It  may  prove  a  valuable  guide  under  new  and  unexpected  conditions. 

"The  labor  system  of  the  South  before  i860  A.  D.  is  a  thing  of  the 
past.  Nearly  a  generation  has  lived  since  it  was  abolished.  It  is  time 
that  the  political  emotions  which  once  associated  themselves  with  it 
were  quieted.  This  seems  a  suitable  season,  therefore,  after  the  smoke 
of  contest  has  evaporated,  and  yet  before  the  data  and  the  witnesses 
for  the  investigation  have  perished,  to  ascertain  its  real  economic 
effects.'' 

This  great  paper  was  produced  for,  and  appeared  in,  the 
fourth  volume  of  his  Discussions. 

These  papers  added  to  the  reputation  of  the  University  of 
Texas,  as  having  in  its  chair  of  Political  Economy  a  man  of 
wide  and  comprehensive  outlook,  vast  information,  subtle  and 
profound  insight,  and  powerful  abilities  for  the  presentation 
and  enforcement  of  his  views ;  but  a  good  deal  in  them  ran 
counter  to  the  popular  political  faiths  of  the  Texas  people. 

Meanwhile,  Dr.  Dabney  had  not  ceased  to  be  a  theologian. 
In  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Rei'iczv  for  October,  1884,  he 
had  published  a  fine  review  of  The  Doctrine  of  Original  Sin, 


454        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

as  Revised  and  Taught  by  tJie  Churches  of  the  Reformation, 
by  the  Rev.  R.  W.  Landis,  a  paper  which  combines  the  merits 
of  a  review  and  an  original  discussion,  and  is  one  of  the  best 
of  several  treatments  of  the  subject  from  his  pen.  About  1889 
he  prepared  a  pamphlet,  of  thirty-five  octavo  pages,  entitled. 
The  Latest  Infidelity:  A  Reply  to  IngersoU's  Positions.  Dr. 
Dabney  regarded  this  as  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  thought 
out  and  careful  of  his  productions.  He  received  some  current 
criticisms  on  the  ground  that  he  treated  IngersoU's  views  as  if 
they  were  of  greater  influence  than  they  were.  Men  said,  Dr. 
Dabney  is  casting  pearls  before  swine ;  but  he  never  thought  so, 
nor  did  the  majority  of  his  critics,  perhaps.  He  sought,  not 
indeed,  to  convince  IngersoU,  but  to  protect  the  inconsiderate 
from  accepting  his  views. 

Li  1894,  he  published  in  the  Presbyterian  Quarterly  a  paper 
on  the  "Attractions  of  Popery,"  in  which  he  set  in  array  the 
influences  which  Rome  is  now  wielding  throughout  our  country, 
some  of  which  Protestants  put  into  her  hands  by  their  own  folly 
and  unfaithfulness,  and  some  of  which  she  finds  in  the  blindness 
and  sinfulness  of  human  nature.  He  shows  that  these  latter 
are  the  errors  and  crimes  of  humanity,  which  the  church  of 
Christ  should  labor  to  repress  and  extirpate,  whereas  Rome 
caters  to  them,  and  fosters  them  in  order  to  use  them  for  her 
own  aggrandizement.  These  weapons  are  potent,  exactly 
adapted  to  the  nature  of  fallen  man,  have  always  been  suc- 
cessful, and  will  be  successful  in  this  country.  Our  republican 
constitutions  will  prove  no  adequate  shield  against  them,  nor 
will  our  scriptural  ecclesiastical  order.  Our  rationalistic  cul- 
ture, by  weakening  God's  Word,  is  opening  the  way  for  Rome's 
victory.  The  only  hope  for  Protestants  is  in  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  These  several  contentions  he  powerfully  sup- 
ports. 

During  this  period  he  wrote  much  besides ;  some  papers  of  a 
distinctly  ecclesiastical  sort,  as  a  famous  broadside  in  the  Cen- 
tral Presbyterian,  in  1887,  against  Fraternal  Relations,  and  his 
letter  of  a  few  years  later  against  "Premature  Licensure,"  and 
some  of  an  evangelical  sort,  as  his  vigorous  and  earnest  plea  in 
behalf  of  Campinas  College,  in  the  Central  Presbyterian  of 
February  21,  1894,  entitled  "Shall  the  Campinas  College  Die?" 
He  argues  that  it  must  not :  First,  on  account  of  its  founders 
and  servants  whose  deaths  have  consecrated  it.  Lane,  Boyle, 
Dabney;    second,  on  account  of  the  value  of  the  school  as  an 


•  In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     455 

evangelizing  agency ;  third,  because  schools  are  as  necessary  to 
the  success  of  our  religion  in  Brazil  as  in  America,  and  because 
of  the  proven  efficiency  of  that  school.  He  vigorously  combats 
the  reasons  advanced  for  abandoning  the  school,  especially  the 
"novel  views"  that  the  church's  commission  to  the  heathen 
authorizes  her  to  do  nothing  but  preach  revelation,  administer 
the  sacraments,  and  organize  churches,  and  that  if  she  teaches 
anything  out  of  the  pulpit,  it  must  be  Bible  lessons  only. 

He  also  found  time  for  some  poetical  work,  a  noble  "Elegy 
on  Jackson,"  in  1886;  a  poem  on  "Annihilation,"  in  1889; 
"The  Texas  Brigade  at  the  Wilderness,"  in  1890;  "The  Death 
of  Moses,"  in  1891.*^  Some  have  emptily  inferred  that  Dr. 
Dabney  could  not  write  poetry.  If  the  art  of  poetry  be  the  art 
of  apprehending  and  interpreting  ideas  by  the  faculty  of  the 
imagination,  the  art  of  idealizing  in  thought  and  expression, 
then  Dr.  Dabney  possessed  the  art.  That  he  had  the  necessary 
constructive  imagination,  and  the  power  of  expressing  himself 
in  the  concrete,  simply  and  sensuously,  there  is  no  ground  for 
doubt.  He  usually  attempted  poetical  composition,  too,  only  on 
subjects  on  which  he  felt  very  deeply.  In  consequence,  most 
of  his  work  of  this  sort  had  the  ring  of  passion.  As  a  sample 
of  his  poetry  the  following  lines  are  presented : 

"The  San  Marcos  River. 
"Mysterious  river!    Whence  thy  hidden  source? 

The  rain-drops  from  far  distant  field  and  fell, 
Urging  through  countless  paths  their  darkling  course, 

Combine  their  tiny  gifts  thy  flood  to  swell. 
What  secrets  hath  thy  subterranean  stream 

Beheld ;  as  it  hath  bathed  the  deepest  feet 
Of  everlasting  hills,  which  never  beam 

Of  sun  or  star  or  lightning's  flash  did  greet? 
Over  what  cliffs  rushed  thou  in  headlong  fall 

Into  some  gulf  of  Erebus  so  deep 
Thy  very  foam  was  black  as  midnight's  pall ; 

And  massive  roof  of  rock  and  mountain  steep 
Suppressed  thy  thunders,  so  that  the  quick  ears 

Of  fauns  recumbent  on  its  lofty  side 
Heard  not ;  and  grass-blades  laden  with  the  tears 

Of  night  dews,  felt  no  quiver  from  thy  tide? 
Through  days  and  weeks  uncounted  by  the  sun, 

Thy  waters  in  abysmal  caves  have  lain 

°  This  poem  was  suggested  by  a  sermon  preached  by  Dr.  S.  A.  King, 
of  Waco,  Texas,  on  "Moses'  Death." 


456        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

In  slow  lustration,  ere  they  sought  to  run 

Forth  to  the  day,  purged  from  earth's  least  stam. 

Pallas-Athene  of  the  rivers,  thou ! 
Who  leapest  adult  in  thy  glittering  might 

From  yonder  hoary  mountain,  Zeus'  brow. 
Whose  cloven  crags  parted  to  give  thee  light. 

Thou  teachest  us,  wise  virgin ;  as  through  caves, 

Sad  and  tear-dropping,  steal  thy  sobbing  waves. 

Then  flash  to-day :  so  Virtue's  weeping  night 

Shall  surely  break  into  the  dawn's  delight. 

"Emblem,  thou,  of  maiden's  love, 

Buried  deep  in  modest  heart ; 
Growing  there  to  secret  strength, 
Hiding,  swelling,  till  at  length 

Its  lord's  caresses  bid  it  start 
To  life  and  joy!     Then  forth  it  springs, 
'Circling  glad  in  radiant  rings ; 
Bliss  and  fruitfulness  it  brings. 
Naiad  bright,  so  deckest  thou 
With  wedding  wreaths  thy  shining  brow, 
Trailing  ever  verdant  bands 
Of  fern  and  lily;  as  the  lands 
Thou  weddest  with  thy  close  embrace. 
In  thy  laughing,  seaward  race. 
Or  dost  thou  tell  us  of  a  sterner  theme? 
How  souls  of  heroes,  like  thy  forceful  stream. 
Are  bred  and  nursed  in  silence  and  the  night. 
Fed  from  the  rills  of  secret  prayer ;  their  might 

Recruited  in  grim  strife  with  foes  concealed ; 
Until  in  fearful  hour  the  earthquake  shock 
Oi  war,  or  civic  crisis,  cleave  the  rock. 

Then,  startling  foe  and  friend,  they  move  revealed 
In  beauty  terrible,  as  pure  as  strong ; 

But  seek  the  ocean  of  eternity 
(Too  soon,  alas!)  to  which  their  names  belong. 

O  flood !   though  earth-born,  thou  dost  seek  the  sky, 
And  this  is  thy  prime  lesson:    on  our  tomb 

Our  resurrection  waits ;  our  souls  shall  fly 
To  heaven's  sunlight  from  its  blackest  gloom. 
This  is  the  brightest,  this  the  noblest  hope. 
To  publish  which  thy  secret  caverns  ope." 

It  may  be  safely  said  that  he  was  not  at  his  greatest  in  many 
of  his  verses.  The  reader  often  feels  the  need  of  metrical 
polish.     It  is  possible  that  his  metrical  imagery  has  not  at  all 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     457 

times  that  originality  which  we  would  expect  in  him,  if  poet  at 
all,  and  which  is  a  characteristic  of  the  very  great  poet.  He  had 
never  developed  himself  fairly  in  this  sphere.  These  essays  at 
poetry  were  the  occupations  of  relatively  idle  hours.  Thus  he 
wrote  to  his  son  "Charley"  on  December  25,  il"" 


"I  send  you  a  copy  of  a  poem  I  wrote  during  the  leisure  of  vacation, 
an  elegy  on  Jackson.  I  look  forward  to  publishing  it.  Do  not  know 
exactly  when.  I  am  in  no  huiry.  I  have  submitted  it  to  a  few ;  among 
these.  Dr.  Vaughan,  Thomas  R.  Price  and  Mrs.  Jackson.  There  is  a 
shadow  of  a  project  debating  between  us,  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  artist- 
help  of  her  sister  Laura,  Mrs.  Colonel  Brown,  to  get  up  some  pictorial 
illustrations,  have  them  copied  in  colored  lithograph,  and  publish  a 
little  edition,  like  that  of  Grey's  Elegy;  a  nice  little  pamphlet.  How 
does  that  strike  you?  This  project  does  not  clash  at  all  with  giving  it 
prior  magazine  circulation.  There  is  so  much  of  the  'whipped  dog'  spirit 
in  the  South,  I  think  it  very  probable  no  journal  will  dare  to  pub- 
lish it.     .     .     . 

"You  will  find  in  this  envelope  another  poem  vv^hich  is  different.  You 
will  easily  recognize  the  person  satirized  under  the  dramatic  form.  This 
poem  is  also  the  result  of  a  vacation  amusement.  I  have  always  re- 
garded this  man  as  the  vilest,  most  malignant  and  brutal  of  our  con- 
querors. He  will  go  unwhipped  of  justice  in  this  world.  ...  I  felt 
a  kind  of  desire  to  try  my  hand  on  him  after  the  fashion  of  Dante's 
excoriations  of  his  political  foes  in  the  Divina  Commedia."  ' 

We  have  ourselves  seen  him,  after  his  total  loss  of  sight, 
sitting  in  his  class-room  at  examination  times,  and  while  his 
students  were  writing  their  papers,  employing  his  moments  in 
scribbling  on  his  blind  man's  tablet,  now  hymns,  and  now 
trifling  doggerel. 

A  part  of  his  leisure  was  spent  on  subjects  whose  develop- 
ments he  never  completed.  One  of  these  papers,  however,  it  is 
hoped,  may  yet  be  completed  and  published.  It  is  entitled  "A 
History  of  the  Life  and  Ministry  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Lane, 
D.  D.,  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission,  Campinas,  Brazil."  It  is  a 
manuscript  of  about  thirty  thousand  words.  Dr.  Lane's  history 
was  one  of  unique  interest ;  he  was  a  true  man,  a  devoted 
Christian,  and  a  most  zealous  and  efficient  missionary.  The 
following  letter  indicates  Dr.  Dabney's  estimate  of  the  man, 

'This  dream  of  a  certain  soldier  is  "positively  blood-curdling."  It 
is  perhaps  the  most  powerful  piece  of  poetic  work  Dr.  Dabney  did.  For 
reasons,  it  has  not  been  published. 


458        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

and  the  condition  in  which  he  turned  over  to  Mrs.  Lane  the 
manuscript : 

"Austin,  Texas,  April  14,  1894. 
"Mrs.  S.  M.  Lane. 

"My  Dear  Sister:  You  will  find  enclosed  a  manuscript  you  asked 
me  to  construct.  I  will  also  send  back,  in  another  parcel,  the  letters  and 
documents  which  you  sent  me,  as  I  suppose  they  may  be  valued  by 
you  and  the  children. 

"I  am  almost  ashamed  to  send  you  the  narrative  in  this  shape. 
Doubtless  it  is  very  imperfect.  You  know  I  am  blind,  and  have  to  use 
such  amanuenses  as  I  can  catch  up.  There  are,  I  believe,  four  hand- 
writings. You  will  probably  find  many  lapsus  pcium,  and  perhaps  some 
bad  grammar,  here  and  there.  These  you  must  correct  for  yourself. 
You  will  also  find  a  number  of  blanks  for  dates,  etc.,  which  you  can 
easily  fill.  I  either  had  not  the  material  to  fill  them,  or  by  reason  of 
my  blindness,  could  not  get  the  references  straight.  Very  strangely, 
one  of  these  gaps  occurred  at  the  end.  Miss  Charlotte  Kemper,  while 
sending  a  very  valuable  narrative,  forgot  to  give  the  number  of  days 
of  our  friend's  illness  and  the  day  of  his  death.  These  are  what  you 
will  never  forget.  I  could  get  no  copy  of  the  Missionary  Journal  later 
than   1890. 

'■Remember,  my  dear  friend,  that  you  are  the  real  author,  I  the  mere 
instrument,  of  this  biography;  therefore,  put  in  anything  you  desire, 
and  erase  anything  you  do  not  like — do  it  unsparingly.  For  instance, 
a  printed  sketch  of  Mr.  Lane,  from  a  Sunday-school  paper,  says  that  an 
aunt  crossed  the  ocean  with  him,  who  died  soon  after.  He  never  men- 
tioned this  to  me,  nor  is  it  in  your  narrative ;  if  it  is  true,  put  it  in. 
Again,  none  of  the  documents  furnished  me  state  when,  or  by  what  col- 
lege, he  received  his  degree  of  D.  D.  It  happened  after  I  came  to  Texas, 
and  when  my  blindness  prevented  my  keeping  up  with  our  church 
papers.  But  you  will  know.  Insert  the  statement  at  the  right 
place.    .    .    .  Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

During-  this  period,  Dr.  Dabney's  Collected  Discussions  were 
being  brought  out,  the  last  voUnne  not  to  get  into  print,  how- 
ever, till  1897.  They  were  edited  in  four  imposing  volumes  by 
his  life-long  friend  and  brother  in  afifection,  the  Rev.  C.  R. 
Vaughan,  D.  D.^    The  spirit  in  which  the  editor  undertook  his 

*  These  noble  volumes  do  not  contain  Dr.  Dabney's  Life  of  Jackson, 
nor  his  Defense  of  Virginia  and  the  South,  nor  his  Sacred  Rhetoric, 
nor  his  Course  of  Systematic  and  Polemic  Theology,  nor  his  The  Sen- 
sualistic  Philosophy  Considered,  nor  his  Practical  Philosophy,  nor  other 
volumes  of  his,  nor  all  of  his  important  review  articles;  but  they  con- 
tain the  more  important  of  his  contributions  to  reviews,  periodicals 
and  newspapers  which  seemed  to  his  editor  and  himself  to  demand  their 
publication  in  a  more  permanent  form. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     459 

very  considerable  labors  is  well  shown  in  his  letter  of  January 
6.  1885: 

"N.  P.  Manse,  January  6,  1885. 

"My  Dear  Dabney  :  A  happy  New  Year  to  you  and  yours !  The 
blessing  of  the  God  of  the  covenant  rest  on  you  all  this  year  and  for- 
ever. 

"Enclosed  you  will  find  the  first  communication  between  myself  and 
the  Committee  of  Publication  anent  the  contemplated  publication  of 
your  collected  writings.  I  had  exchanged  one  or  two  letters  with 
Dr.  Hazen  before  the  meeting  of  the  committee  on  the  ist  instant.  You 
will  see  something,  I  hope,  to  disabuse  your  sore  heart  of  all  suspicion 
that  your  church  does  not  care  anything  about  you.  I  would  feel  like 
knocking  any  other  man  except  yourself  who  should  dare  to  say  that. 
The  project  is  not  only  pleasing  to  the  committee,  but  esteemed  both 
interesting  and  important.  I  am  delighted  with  the  prospect,  and  will 
do  all  I  can  to  raise  the  money  by  subscription  and  by  grants  for  the 
stereotyping.  I  mean  to  get  John  Preston  to  sound  old  Mr.  William 
Guthrie  and  other  of  your  friends  in  Tinkling  Spring.  I  am  only  wait- 
ing to  hear  details  of  cost  from  Hazen  to  go  to  work.  The  only  thing 
I  don't  like  in  Hazen's  suggestions  is  that  of  bringing  out  the  volumes 
uniform  with  your  Theology.  I  never  liked  the  way  in  which  that 
work  was  printed.  The  typing  is  nothing  like  so  beautiful  as  either 
Thornwell's  or  Ramsay's  volumes.  You  deserve  the  very  best  form 
in  which  the  hand  of  art  can  bring  out  your  thoughts.  My  idea  is  to 
get  out  four  volumes,  uniform  with  Thornwell's,  with  a  first-rate  steel 
engraving  of  my  favorite  wild  beast  set  in  the  forefront  of  the  first 
volume.  Three  volumes  is  the  least  I  can  accept,  but  four  is  what  I 
want.  The  volumes  ought  not  to  be  too  large,  not  more  than  six  hun- 
dred pages,  and  not  much  less.  You  can  go  to  work  and  get  out  all 
your  best  articles,  classified  in  order  of  topics,  and  send  me  a  written 
list,  and  if  this  scheme  should  fail  (as  I  have  no  idea  it  will),  it  will 
at  least  put  me  in  condition  to  try  somewhere  else,  either  in  your  life- 
time, or  after  your  death,  should  I  survive  you.  I  mean  to  work  this 
thing  out  some  way,  if  God  pleases.  Go  to  work  easily;  don't  push, 
or  hurt  yourself;  but  get  ready.  I  am  much  mistaken  if  in  twelve 
months  or  less  the  demand  will  not  be  made  for  the  matter  to  be 
printed. 

"How  are  you?  How  is  the  buttermilk  serving  you?  I  am  anxious 
to  know  if  my  prescription  is  helping  you.  Backed  as  it  was  by  Walker's 
judgment,  I  have  been  hopeful  of  your  increased  comfort,  at  least.  Do 
let  me  hear  once  in  a  while.  Love  to  Sister  Dabney  and  Lewis.  What 
is  Sam  doing  this  winter?  We  are  all  well;  my  baby  is  rosy  and  fat, 
and  sweet  as  peaches.  My  back  has  been  quiet  until  now;  but  in  the 
last  three  days  of  damp  weather  begins  to  grumble.    .    .    . 

"Yours  very  truly  and  affectionately,  C.  R.  V.' 


460        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Dr.  Vaughan  bore  the  editorial  burden,  not  only  in  name, 
but  in  fact.  Nevertheless,  the  bringing  out  of  these  volumes 
entailed  much  labor  on  Dr.  Dabney.  He  had  not  been  careful 
to  preserve  copies  of  many  of  his  writings,  which  had  been 
published  in  pamphlet,  newspaper,  and  review  form.  Much 
correspondence  was  involved  in  the  efifort  to  regain  copies. 
Much  correspondence  was  necessary  between  editor  and  author, 
as  to  which  articles  should  be  put  into  book  form,  and  which 
into  the  several  volumes.  Some  articles  had  to  be  revised,  some 
re- written ;  some  were  worked  up  de  novo  for  these  Discus- 
sions; but  the  strenuous  man  loves  work,  and  this  extra  toil 
was  no  burden,  but  joy  to  Dr.  Dabney,  and  all  these  efforts 
increased  his  reputation,  and  reflected  glory  on  the  University 
with  which  he  was  connected. 

As  if  these  labors  were  not  sufficient,  about  i886-'87  he  be- 
came very  much  interested  in  railway  mechanism,  tracks,  cars, 
locomotives,  etc.,  and  his  study  of  these  things  led  him  to 
invent  a  railway  train-braking  system  and  a  new  railway  car. 
Both  were  patented. 

That  there  was  at  least  a  partial  appreciation  of  Dr.  Dabney's 
great  reputation  and  abilities  by  the  LTniversity  and  people  of 
Texas  is  made  clear  by  the  fact  that  during  the  session  iSqo-'qi 
his  friends  amongst  the  Faculty  and  students  had  his  portrait 
painted  by  the  French  artist  Guillaume,  and  presented  it  to  the 
University  in  June,  1891.  T.  W.  Gregory.  Esq.,  a  bright  young 
lawyer  of  Austin,  presented  the  portrait,  in  an  appropriate  ad- 
dress, from  which  the  following  extracts  are  made : 

"Never,  so  long  as  this  institution  shall  press  forward  on  her  high 
mission  ;  never,  even  when  her  sons  shall  have  gone  forth  to  meet  the 
world,  conquering  and  to  conquer,  and  borne  her  honored  name  to  every 
section  of  this  broad  republic;  never,  even  in  her  hours  of  grandest 
triumph,  will  there  hang  upon  her  classic  walls  a  nobler  example  than 
this  of  stern  adherence  to  duty  and  unswerving  devotion  to  prin- 
ciple.    .     .     . 

"When  the  tempest  of  defeat  and  reconstruction  swept  over  the 
South,  bearing  away  every  landmark  of  social  status  and  political  faith, 
he  stood,  with  folded  arms,  amid  the  flotsam  and  jetsam  of  institutions 
which  were  knit  into  every  fibre  of  his  being,  and  ancestral  traditions 
which  were  a  part  of  his  daily  life. 

"With  a  heart  too  great  to  break,  and  a  courage  too  high  to  yield, 
he  took  up  and  bore  the  burden  of  his  life  through  the  new  order 
which  had  come.  For  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  devoted 
himself  to  literary  pursuits,  to  theology,  to  philosophy,   and  last,  but 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     461 

not  least,  to  teaching  Southern  youth  not  to  despise  the  cause  for  which 
their  fathers  died,  not  to  forget  the  proud  traditions  of  the  past,  not 
to  repudiate  the  blood  of  patriots  shed,  and  to  study  the  constitutional 
question  settled  in  this  world  by  the  late  war;  but,  in  his  opinion,  never 
to  be  ultimately  decided  on  a  basis  of  right  and  wrong  until  the  great 
hereafter. 

"In  1883,  he  left  his  native  State  to  cast  his  fortunes  with  those  of 
our  great  University,  and  here,  among  kindred  hearts  and  kindred 
people,  the  maturest  fruits  of  his  manhood  have  ripened,  his  influence 
has  broadened  year  by  year,  and  he  still  remains  a  great  example  of 
those — 

'  Who  have  held  to  their  faith,  unseduced  by  the  prize  that  the  world 
holds  on  high ; 
Who  have  dared  for  a  high  cause  to  suffer,  resist,  fight,  if  need  be, 
to  die.' 

"And  when  our  people  forget  the  example  and  precept  of  such  as 
these ;  when  they  forget  that  from  them  have  come  down  to  us,  pure 
and  undefiled,  the  ancestral  faith  and  devotion  of  our  fathers ;  when  they 
forget  that  to  such  as  these  we  owe  the  heritage  of  principle  and  cour- 
age and  chivalry,  upon  which  must  be  built  our  future  greatness ;  when 
we  forget  to  prize  the  purity  of  motive,  and  honor  the  patriotic  blood 
of  those  who  fell  at  Shiloh  and  Malvern  Hill,  then  'may  God  forget  us !' 
'If  this  be  treason,  then  make  the  most  of  it.'  And  now,  in  conclusion, 
to  you.  Regents  of  the  University  of  Texas,  and,  through  you,  to  the 
coming  generation  of  Texas  youth,  I  present  this  portrait  of  the  teacher, 
pastor,  author,  philosopher,  logician,  historian,  patriot,  soldier,  Chris- 
tian." 


In  other  portions  of  his  address.  Mr.  Gregory  ranked  Dr. 
Dabney  "among  the  brightest  scholars  of  Europe  and  America." 

Mr.  A.  P.  Wooldridge,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Austin,  and  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University,  was  their 
appointee  to  receive  the  portrait  for  the  University,  which  he 
did  in  a  very  handsome  and  eloquent  manner.  Mr.  Wooldridge 
said: 

"I  am  here  for  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  Texas,  to  accept 
of  the  donors  this  portrait  of  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney,  and  by  this  official 
act  to  place  it  amongst  the  most  valued  treasures  of  this  institution. 
I  am  here  to  acknowledge  the  rare  excellence  of  this  picture  as  a  work 
of  art.  I  am  also  here  to  gratefully  acknowledge  the  sentiments  of  affec- 
tion and  esteem  prompting  the  generous  givers  of  this  gift.  But  I  am 
especially  here  to  declare  for  the  Regents  that  in  thus  publicly  approving 
the  life,  character  and  works  of  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney,  his  friends,  and  the 


462        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

friends  of  the  University,  have  done  to  him  and  the  University  of  Texas 
a  most  admirable  and  most  generous  and  befitting  thing. 

"Dr.  Dabney's  life  and  work  in  the  University  of  Texas  makes  up  a 
large  and  important  part  of  its  history.  His  life  and  his  work  elsewhere 
is  the  common  property  and  the  common  pride  of  the  whole  South. 
His  achievements  here  are  peculiarly  our  own,  and  of  this  it  is  my 
especial  province  to  speak. 

"Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney,  then  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  of 
Virginia,  was  elected  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  the 
University  of  Texas,  May  2,  1883.  On  June  4th  of  that  year  he  visited 
Austin,  and  appeared  before  the  Board  of  Regents.  As  what  followed 
was  imusual,  and  is  strikingly  characteristic  of  the  man,  I  will  quote 
from  the  proceedings  of  the  Board  of  that  date: 

"  'Professor  R.  L.  Dabney,  Professor-elect  of  Moral  and  Mental 
Philosophy,  was  in  attendance  at  this  session  of  the  board,  and,  upon 
invitation,  freely  gave  his  reasons  for  visiting  Texas  at  this  time,  the 
substance  of  which  was  that  he  might  not  only  see  the  people  and  the 
country  where  his  future  life  was  probably  to  be  spent,  but  that  the 
Regents,  in  turn,  might  see  him,  and  from  personal  knowledge  and 
acquaintance,  determine  the  wisdom  and  propriety  of  their  action  in 
electing  him  to  the  Faculty  of  this  University. 

"  'After  listening  attentively  to  Dr.  Dabney,  the  board  declared  itself 
entirely  satisfied  with  its  choice,  and,  by  resolution,  the  express  question 
was  put  to  him,  whether  or  not  he  would  accept  the  professorship  ten- 
dered. Dr.  Dabney  replied  that  he  would  advise  the  board  of  his 
conclusion  on  the  next  day.  On  the  next  day  he  formally  accepted 
the  Professorship  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy,  submitting,  at  the 
same  time,  an  outline  course  of  study  for  his  department.' 

"The  above  is  a  substantial  extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the 
Board  of  Regents.  The  minutes,  however,  do  not  disclose  all  that 
occurred  at  this  meeting.  I  was  present,  and  distinctly  remember  more. 
Dr.  Dabney  said,  T  am  now  sixty-three  years  of  age ;  I  have  been  very 
sick;  my  physician  says  I  cannot  live  in  the  climate  of  Virginia.  If  I 
come  to  you,  it  is  as  a  sick  man,  partly  to  get  well.  I  am  not  willing 
that  you  should  engage  me  without  knowing  these  facts,  and  without 
having  an  opportunity,  after  knowing  them,  to  revoke  your  action, 
should  you  so  desire.'  Dr.  Wooten  spoke  up  cheerfully,  'We  are  sat- 
isfied with  our  choice.  Doctor;  this  climate  will  make  you  well,  and 
you  have  ten  years  of  good  work  in  you.'  Thus  began  this  illustrious 
man's  connection  with  the  University  of  Texas,  a  connection  which 
has  been  from  the  beginning  until  now  full  of  honor  and  advantage  to 
this  institution. 

"One  would  not  then  have  guessed  Dr.  Dabney  to  be  a  sick  man, 
but  needed  so  to  be  told.  His  presence  was  firm  and  erect,  his  bearing 
self-reliant,  his  glance  clear  and  strong;  but  to-day  he  is  weak  and 
feeble,  and  altogether  blind. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     463 

"Dr.  Dabney's  connection  with  this  University  has  more  than  an 
ordinary  significance.  He  came  to  this  State  in  the  most  perfect  ma- 
turity of  his  intellectual  and  moral  manhood,  most  ripe  in  wisdom, 
knowledge,  culture  and  experience,  at  the  very  height  of  his  reputation 
and  knowledge,  and  at  the  best  of  his  ability;  and  of  this  richness  of 
knowledge  and  influence  he  has  given  without  stint  to  those  about  him; 
and  the  moral  grandeur  of  his  life  and  character  were  an  example 
and  a  stimulus  to  the  students  from  the  start.  Dr.  Dabney's  connection 
with  the  University  at  the  outset  perhaps  contributed  most  to  the 
prestige  and  stability  of  this  then  young  institution.  He  was  known 
as  a  great  and  good  man  to  scholars,  statesmen  and  divines  throughout 
the  world.  As  an  intrepid  patriot,  a  learned  Christian  philosopher, 
and  as  a  great  teacher,  his  name  was  an  household  word  throughout 
the  South,  and  the  immediate  recognition  by  the  Faculty,  the  students, 
the  pulpit  and  the  press,  of  his  high  character  and  great  abilities,  fully 
established  the  board  in  the  wisdom  of  its  choice.  Dr.  Dabney  not  only 
brought  to  his  work  here  his  great  character  and  abilities  at  their  best, 
but  by  the  wisdom  and  energy  of  his  counsels,  by  his  unwavering  faith 
and  confidence  in  the  future  of  the  institution,  and,  above  all,  by  his 
intense  loyalty  to  her  cause,  he  contributed  greatly  in  those  early  and 
dark  days  to  her  advancement  and  success. 

"When  first  one  and  then  another,  and  finally  a  third,  of  the  great 
scholars  who  had  come  to  the  University  at  the  beginning,  left  us, 
tired  of  strife  and  apprehensive  of  our  permanence.  Dr.  Dabney  knew 
neither  weariness  nor  fear ;  but,  with  the  courage  and  foresight  almost 
of  prescience,  stood  by  the  University,  and  confidently  predicted  that 
success  which  has  so  rapidly  and  completely  come  to  us.  His  absolute 
faith  and  devotion  to  the  University  in  those  uncertain  days,  when  some 
friends  were  falling  off,  are  an  example  and  inspiration  to  those  who 
knew  what  he  did. 

"Dr.  Dabney's  work  at  the  University  has  been  his  life's  best  work; 
and  the  acquirements  of  his  long  life  of  incessant  study,  of  deep  reflec- 
tion, and  large  experience,  has  been  freely  bestowed  upon  those  who 
would  receive  of  him.  His  life  here,  while  one  of  constant  labor,  has 
been  quiet  in  form  and  manner,  yet  active  and  eventful  in  the  good  he 
has  done.     .     .     . 

"Dr.  Dabney  is  a  man  of  intense  Christian  piety,  a  man  of  great 
self-reliance  and  of  strong  convictions  in  all  things  but  in  his  own 
Christian  graces ;  here  he  is  humble,  innocent  and  distrustful  of  himself. 
His  loyalty  to  duty  and  conviction  are  inflexible,  at  times  to  apparent 
intolerance  and  prejudice;  but  those  who  judge  him  thus  judge  but  with 
imperfect  knowledge.  The  depth  and  luminousness  of  his  own  under- 
standing makes  clear  to  him  things  but  imperfectly  seen  and  known 
to  others,  and  so  at  times  he  may  seem  gently  impatient  of  their  weak- 
nesses. 

"Dr.  Dabney's  mind  and  energy  of  will  are  strong,  at  times  even 


464        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

to  imperiousness,  and  yet  he  is  always  just,  kind  and  conscientious. 
He  is  a  conservative  man,  and  will  never  give  up  a  good  conclusion  until 
sure  of  a  better. 

"His  benevolence,  while  great,  is  quiet,  unpretentious  and  practical. 
His  mind  is  especially  characterized  by  great  common  sense,  a  trait 
exhibited  not  only  in  his  professional  duties  of  governing  his  inter- 
course with  men  and  affairs,  but  shown  in  the  administration  of  his 
domestic  and  private  matters. 

"As  all  know,  his  scholarship  in  letters  and  science  is  varied  and 
profound ;  but  it  is  as  a  student,  teacher  and  author  of  mental  and 
moral  science,  especially  of  the  school  of  Reed  and  Hamilton,  upon 
which  he  has  impressed  his  own  individuality,  that  his  work  has  been 
greatest  and  will  longest  endure.  I  am  here,  as  I  said,  to  acknowledge 
the  artistic  merit  of  this  portrait.  I  am  here  to  appreciate  the  generous 
motives  of  the  donors ;  but,  long  after  the  freshness  of  this  picture  shall 
have  faded,  perhaps  even  when  the  motives  of  the  givers  shall  not  be 
known,  the  memory  and  character  of  the  illustrious  man  whose  noble 
countenance  this  canvas  portrays  will  live  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
the  ingenuous  youth  who  shall  come  here  to  learn  the  immortal  lesson 
his  life  and  his  works  will  forever  teach." 

It  was  the  nattiral,  the  logical,  and  the"  inevitable  thing  for  a 
man  like  Dr.  Dabney,  fully  and  consciously  to  theorize  his  posi- 
tion in  the  L^niversity  of  Texas,  to  the  church  whose  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  he  had  left  the  service  of,  and  also  the  position 
of  the  University  in  relation  to  the  denominational  colleges  of 
the  State.  This  he  did  early,  publishing  his  conclusions  in  the 
Southzvestern  Presbyterian,  in  1884,  under  the  form  of  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Dr.  E.  P.  Palmer,  who  then  resided  at  Sher- 
man, Texas :  ^ 

"To  Dr.  E.  P.  Palmer. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  As  many,  and  often  crude,  views 
are  expressed  concerning  the  relations  between  the  University  of  Texas 
and  the  Christian  denominations  and  colleges  of  the  State,  and  as  this 
was  a  subject  incomplete  in  our  brief  conversation,  I  propose  to  say  a 
few  things  upon  it  by  letter. 

"First.  The  University  of  Texas,  because  a  State  institution,  is  not  a 
godless  or  an  anti-Christian  one.  The  Constitution  and  laws  do,  indeed, 
secure  the  fullest  liberty  of  opinion,  speech  and  conduct  to  all  citizens 

'  It  is  believed  that  this  letter  gives  the  right  views  for  the  settle- 
ment of  the  relations  between  the  State  universities  generally  and  the 
denominational  colleges  within  their  several  spheres.  Hence  it  is  pre- 
sented entire. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     465 

on  the  subject  of  religion;  prohibits  all  forms  of  religious  establish- 
ments by  civil  law  and  State  endowment ;  and  secure  to  all  persons 
otherwise  qualified  the  right  to  hold  office  without  any  religious  tests. 
But  the  Commonwealth  does  not  make  herself  an  'agnostic'  or  an 
atheistic  institution.  Site  founds  herself  upon  theism,  and  upon  moral 
relations  between  man  and  the  Supreme  Being.  This  is  made  plain  by 
the  Bill  of  Rights,  section  4,  which,  while  prohibiting  a  religious  test 
for  office,  or  the  exclusion  of  any  one  from  office  on  account  of  his 
religious  sentiments,  adds,  'provided  he  acknowledge  the  existence  of  a 
Supreme  Being.'  This  necessarily  implies  that  the  acknowledgment  of 
such  Supreme  Being  is  requisite  to  entitle  any  one  to  office.  That  Is 
to  say,  Texas  refuses  to  recognize  the  atheist  as  a  fit  organ  of  political 
society.  The  sixth  section  claims  for  all  the  citizens  the  right  to  worship 
God  thus :  'All  men  have  a  natural  and  indefeasible  right  to  worship 
Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences.'  In 
Article  XVI.,  all  legislators,  and  all  officers  of  the  State  whatsoever, 
before  assuming  their  functions,  must  swear  (or  affirm)  to  their  faithful 
performance  with  a  'so  help  me  God.'  While  an  exception  is  provided 
for  those  who  have  a  conscientious  difficulty  about  szvearing,  yet  the 
customary  form  of  the  obligation  provided  is  the  oath  of  God.  The 
Penal  Code,  page  26,  makes  it  a  misdemeanor,  punishable  by  fine  and 
imprisonment,  to  disturb,  or  even  annoy,  any  assemblage  for  divine 
worship  of  any  sort.  Finally,  the  same  code  protects  Sunday  from 
secular  labor  by  forbidding  its  performance  or  enforcement  on  any  ser- 
vants or  employees. 

"The  State,  therefore,  is  itself  theistic,  and  recognizes  the  religious 
responsibilities  which  are  common  to  all  his  worshippers  of  every  name. 
The  State  refuses  to  be  herself  agnostic  or  atheistic.  The  State  Uni- 
versity ought  to  be  in  this  exactly  like  the  State  which  creates  it:  offi- 
cially attacking  no  religious  denomination  of  the  citizens,  yet  respecting 
them  all,  and  rendering  common  service  to  them  all.  The  University, 
like  the  State,  can  have  no  ecclesiastical  trait  of  either  kind,  but  must 
be  separate  and  independent  from  all  ecclesiastical  institutions.  But 
none  the  less,  the  University,  like  the  State,  should  equitably  respect 
the  rig'hts  of  all  and  labor  for  the  common  protection  of  all.  Why 
should  the  University,  because  undenominational,  be  suspected  of  un- 
friendliness to  the  Christian  religion?  The  Supreme  Court  of  Texas 
must  be  also  non-ecclesiastical.  But  who  dreams  of  saying,  when  it 
sits  in  Austin,  that  therefore  it  is  unfriendly  to  religion ;  when,  very 
possibly,  the  worshipful  judges  presiding  in  it  are  themselves,  in  their 
personal  relations,  devout  Christians ;  and  in  their  official  capacities 
protect  all  denominations  of  Christians  (in  common  with  all  other 
legitimate  interests)  of  the  people  of  Texas?  Nor  can  the  justice  of  this 
comparison  be  broken  by  saying  that  the  University  is  a  didactic  agency. 
So  is  a  Supreme  Court ;  it  is  an  expounder  of  law,  which  is  but  the 
doctrine  of  moral  rights  and  duties  in  a  methodized  form. 


466        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"It  is,  of  course,  conceivable  that  a  Commonwealth  might  ground 
its  existence  on  an  agnostic  or  atheistic  basis,  and  that  its  rules  might 
then  require  all  the  organs  of  the  State  so  to  suppress  all  recognition 
of  God  and  religious  duty  as  to  make  their  teaching  practically  hostile 
to  all  the  religions  of  all  the  different  classes  of  citizens.  Happily,  the 
statesmen  of  Texas  have  been  too  wise  and  equitable  to  take  such  a 
position.  .  .  .  Should  such  a  dark  day  ever  arrive,  I,  for  one,  would 
refuse  to  teach  in  such  a  university  a  day  longer  than  I  could  properly 
leave  it. 

"The  professors,  I  presume,  then,  all  conclude  that  our  official  duty 
here  is,  while  we  can  assert  no  particular  ecclesiastical  or  theological 
system  in  teaching  literature  and  science,  so  to  teach  these  as  to  assist 
and  protect  all  such  in  those  common  features  which  are  precious  to 
them  all.  Like  the  State,  we  are  here  to  assail  none,  but  equitably  to 
aid  all. 

"The  teachers  in  the  University,  however,  like  all  other  officers  of 
the  State,  have  their  personal,  private  and  religious  spheres  in  society 
distinct  from  their  official  functions.  Like  other  officers  of  the  State, 
they  claim  their  personal  rights  as  heads  of  families  and  members  of 
Christian  society,  to  support  the  several  forms  of  evangelical  Chris- 
tianity which  they  personally  believe  in.  This  right  gives  them  a  wide 
and  legitimate  influence.  What  the  complexion  of  that  influence  will 
actually  be  may  be  learned  from  the  fact  that  they  are  respectful  be- 
lievers in  religious  truth,  all  men  of  pure  morals,  and  at  least  as  large 
a  portion  of  them  consistent  communicants  in  the  churches  as  can  be 
found  in  other  collections  of  educated  men.  When  the  students  see 
them  in  their  places  at  church,  giving  of  their  means  to  support  Chris- 
tian institutions,  setting  a  Christian  example  in  their  daily  walk,  assert- 
ing Christian  truth  in  their  daily  conversation — surely  the  impression, 
as  a  whole,  must  be  favorable  to  Christiamty.  The  most  zealous  friend 
of  Christianity,  then,  has  no  ground  to  fear  an  anti-Christian  influence, 
or  to  regard  the  institution  as  hostile  to  their  denomination. 

"Second.  While,  then,  no  rivalry  ought  to  be  expressed,  or  can  really 
exist,  between  the  University  and  the  other  Christian  denominational  col- 
leges of  Texas,  they  ought  to  regard  themselves  as  mutually  consistent, 
and  as  interested  in  each  other's  welfare,  because  they  are  all  parts  of 
one  great  system  of  education.  The  completeness  of  the  results  requires 
the  presence  of  all  the  parts. 

"Thus,  as  to  the  religious  aspects  of  the  State  University  and  the 
colleges,  we  have  seen  that  it  is  no  more  un-Christian,  or  anti-Christian, 
than  they  are.  But  there  are  services  to  be  rendered  to  Christianity  and 
to  Christian  education  of  a  peculiar  kind  which  the  State  University 
cannot  render.  Let  me  illustrate  by  the  state  of  religion  in  America. 
We  have  great  catholic  agencies,  the  American  Bible  Society  and  the 
American  Tract  Society,  which  are  Christian,  but  neither  Presbyterian, 
Methodist,   nor   Baptist,   nor   Episcopal.     There   is   room  in  American 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     467 

Christianity  for  them;  they  are  needed.  They  do  good;  some  forms  of 
good  which  neither  denomination  could  do.  Yet  they  ought  not  to  sup- 
plant the  denominations.  As  human  nature  is  constituted,  the  only  way 
for  the  great  church  catholic  to  do  its  work  prosperously  is  for  each 
denomination  of  the  church  catholic  to  do  its  work  vigorously.  The 
whole  must  grow  only  by  the  growth  of  the  parts.  It  is  somewhat  so 
in  the  work  of  Christian  education.  No  denomination  can  afford  to 
have  all  its  youth  taught  by  this  undenominational  University,  or  by  a 
rival  denomination,  any  more  than  it  could  afford  to  have  all  its  pulpits 
filled  by  the  directors  of  the  Tract  Society.  The  other  denominations 
in  Texas  are  pushing  their  colleges.  Presbyterians  must  push  theirs 
or  be  left  far  behind.  It  may  be  that  some  of  these  colleges  are  now 
finding  a  part  of  their  impulse  in  a  jealousy  of  the  State  University. 
While  I  regard  this  jealousy  as  wholly  unfounded,  yet  I  by  no  means 
regret  the  impulse  which  they  are  feeling.  Let  all  the  denominational 
colleges  be  as  good  and  as  well  sustained  as  possible ;  all  the  better  for 
us  in  the  end.  But  you  may  be  sure  that  the  denomination  which  is 
left  behind  in  this  distinctive  work  of  education  will  be  left  behind  in 
its  growth.  As  a  Presbyterian,  then,  I  would  say  that  the  existence 
of  the  University  furnishes  no  motive  for  Texas  Presbyterians  to  relax 
their  efforts  for  their  college,  but  the  contrary,  the  strongest  motive 
to  renew  them. 

"In  the  educational  aspects,  the  University  and  the  colleges  are 
really  not  rivals,  but  complementary  to  each  other.  Their  prosperity 
will  make  both  better  in  their  respective  spheres.  The  German  idea 
of  a  University,  as  you  know,  differs  much  from  the  Scotch  and  the 
American.  The  German  undertakes  to  teach  none  but  college  graduates, 
and  no  studies  but  post-graduate  ones.  They  only  profess  to  build  the 
superstructures  of  complete  education.  But  the  Scotch  and  American 
universities,  while  undertaking  to  do  that  post-graduate  work,  are  com- 
pelled by  circumstances  to  provide  also  undergraduate  instruction.  They 
cannot  avoid  it.  The  scarcity  of  prepared  material  compels  them  to  it, 
along  with  the  pressure  of  youth  in  a  new  country  to  go  into  the  busi- 
ness of  life  with  the  least  possible  delay.  The  strongest  argument  for 
this  course  is  in  the  history  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  in  Balti- 
more. They  set  out,  quite  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets,  to  be  a  'true 
university' ;  to  pursue  only  post-graduate  instruction.  But  necessity 
compelled  them  before  long  to  take  undergraduates,  and  now  they  have 
their  regular  'college,'  with  many  more  youths  than  can  be  found  in 
the  university  classes  proper.  But  just  here,  it  may  be  supposed,  appears 
the  rivalry  between  this  University  and  the  colleges  of  Texas.  It  may 
be  said :  'Leave  the  colleges  to  do  all  that  undergraduate  work.  That 
is  what  they  are  prepared  to  do.  When  the  University  undertakes  to  do 
a  part  of  it,  she  intrudes  into  the  work  of  the  colleges.' 

"I  reply,  first,  I  hope  that  ultimately  the  tendency  will  be  towards 
that  result,  more  and  more.     And  I  freely  say  that  usually  it  is  better 


468        Li:fe  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

:and  safer  for  an  undergraduate  to  be  studying  his  undergraduate  course 
in  a  good  college  than  in  a  university,  whose  methods  of  teaching  must 
be,  and  should  be,  more  suited  to  mature  men  than  to  youths,  and  where 
the  temptations  of  a  city  are  greater.  Further  reply  is  found  in  these 
facts :  that  the  State  is  wide,  and  that  there  is  room  for  all ;  that  the 
colleges  derive  great  good  from  the  University  in  the  shape  of  more 
thoroughly  trained  teachers ;  and  above  all,  that  the  greater  institution, 
by  raising  the  standard  of  thorough  training,  and  stimulating  the  am- 
bition of  the  youth  of  the  State,  multiplies  the  material  for  all.  Facts 
confirm  this :  when  a  great  State  University  has  been  doing  its  best, 
and  has  been  most  largely  attended,  all  the  colleges  have  been  better 
taught  and  more  fully  attended.  As  the  University  of  Virgini;,  grew, 
between  1840  and  1856,  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  students  to  six 
hundred,  Hampden-Sidney,  a  denominational  college,  grew  from  forty- 
five  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  students. 

"Every  great  Commonwealth  should  have  one  (at  least)  great  insti- 
tution of  learning,  in  which  the  highest  departments  of  science  and 
literature  are  taught,  and  young  men  seeking  instruction  in  any  branch 
of  study,  needed  for  any  of  the  demands  of  high  civilization,  may  find 
the  needed  tuition.  Such  an  institution  should  be  a  grand  entrepot 
of  science.  The  best  argument  to  support  this  position  is  the  example 
of  all  the  great  States  of  Europe  and  America,  and  especially  of  Ger- 
many. Now,  as  matters  go,  there  is  no  agency  in  most  of  our  States 
strong  and  rich  enough  to  create  and  sustain  such  an  institution  except 
the  Commonwealth  itself.  The  State  of  New  Jersey  may  be  pointed  to 
as  an  exception.  There  the  College  of  Nassau  Hall,  at  Princeton,  estab- 
lished and  fostered  by  the  Presbyterians,  has  really  reached  the  com- 
pleteness of  such  an  entrepot.  But  the  condition  of  New  Jersey  is 
peculiar ;  she  is  a  small  State,  has  been  a  poor  one,  and  lies  between 
the  two  great  cities  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  whose  Presby- 
terian citizens  have  poured  the  wealth  of  three  Commonwealths  into 
this  favorite  college.  The  like  thing  cannot  be  done  by  any  single 
Christian  denomination  in  the  South.  If  it  were  done,  the  other 
denominations  would  not  be  content  to  endure  its  supremacy.  The 
best  solution,  at  least  so  long  as  the  Commonwealth  is  friendly  and  im- 
partial, is  that  adopted  here;  to  let  the  State  found  the  great  entrepot 
of  education,  and  to  let  the  denominations  supply  the  colleges  of  the  next 
grade.     Thus  the  pyramid  is  completed. 

"Of  course,  it  is  not  claimed  that  this  University  of  Texas  possesses 
such  preeminence  now  in  its  rudimental  state.  Nor  can  the  State's 
money  and  patronage  alone  constitute  such  supremacy.  It  has  to  be 
earned  in  the  future  by  diligence,  thorough  teaching  and  gradual 
growth.     Its  friends  only  ask  for  it  a  chance  to  grow. 

"There  are  two  practical  considerations,  which  would  prompt  me, 
as  a  Christian,  to  hold  on  to  my  denominational  college,  notwithstanding 
the  prosperity  of  a  State  University,  and  to  sustain  my  college  with  the 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     469 

utmost  tenacity.  I  have  said  that  the  two  kinds  of  institutions  are  two 
essential  parts  of  one  system ;  we  ought  not  to  do  without  either.  One 
reason  is  the  uncertainty  which  must  ever  attend  the  political  status  of 
our  Commonwealth.  The  regimen  in  this  State  is  now  such  that  en- 
lightened Christians  can  sustain  it  heartily.  But  it  is  never  impossible 
that  a  change  may  come.  One  possible  direction  is  like  that  of  the  French 
Republic  under  Paul  Bert.  Anti-Christian  influences  may  assume 
such  ascendancy  in  the  State,  some  day,  that  its  rulers  may  insist  on 
making  the  public  education  agnostic.  But  every  Christian  knows  that 
such  an  education  is  virtually  anti-Christian.  To  it  Christians  can  give 
place  by  subjection,  no,  not  for  an  hour.  Should  that  contingency  be- 
come actual,  and  catch  us  without  efficient  Christian  schools  of  learning, 
Christian  truth  would  experience  a  disastrous  overthrow  before  this 
accomplished,  godless  learning,  backed  up  by  the  resources  of  the  State. 
Christianity  must  keep  up  its  bulwarks.  Said  Washington,  'In  peace 
prepare  for  war.'  The  perversion  of  a  State  University  is  also  possible 
in  another  way:  some  one  denomination,  used  as  an  electioneering 
tool  by  designing  politicians,  may  usurp  an  undue  control  in  the  State 
institution.  Such  things  have  happened  in  America.  Should  they 
happen  here,  the  only  recourse  for  the  injured  denominations  will  be 
to  fall  back  on  their  denominational  colleges.  True,  the  State  Uni- 
versity thus  sectarianized,  is  always  degraded  in  its  scholarship  and 
tone.  But  this  only  enhances  the  necessity  of  good  denominational 
colleges. 

"The  other  consideration  regards  the  rearing  of  candidates  for  the 
ministry.  Each  church  must  look  for  these  chiefly  to  its  ozvn  college. 
Whether  we  can  explain  it  or  not,  the  stubborn  facts  prove  this.  The 
University  of  North  Carolina  yields  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  out 
of  its  hundreds  of  students,  one  or  two  students  of  divinity.  The 
College  of  Davidson,  a  denominational  college,  out  of  its  scores,  a  large 
number.  The  University  of  Virginia  yields  one  or  two  per  annum.  The 
little  denominational  college  of  Hampden-Sidney,  out  of  its  fifty  or 
sixty  students,  yields  five  or  six  annually.  Washington  and  Lee  Uni- 
versity, since  it  has  ceased  to  be  denominational,  sends  fewer  candidates 
than  when  it  was  a  little  Presbyterian  college.  If  any  Presbyterian 
doubts  this,  let  him  send  to  our  theological  seminaries  and  collect  a 
series  of  their  catalogues,  giving  the  places  of  education  of  the  candi- 
dates. The  revelation  will  be  startling.  This  result  is  not  caused  by 
any  hostility  or  lukewarmness  of  the  professors  in  these  universities ; 
they  are  usually  noble  Christian  laymen.  Nor  is  it  due  to  a  non-attend- 
ance of  Christian  students.  Such  young  men  are  there  in  large  num- 
bers, and  they  are  usually  active  in  diffusing  a  Christian  influence.  But 
the  fact  remains,  and  it  should  guide  us,  whether  explicable  or  not.  A 
part  of  the  explanation  may  be,  that  the  learned  professors  and  the  lit- 
erary heads  of  these  institutions  are  laymen,  and  have  achieved  their 
fame  in  secular  careers ;  but  these  men  are  the  inspiring  models  of  all 


470        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

the  brighter  pupils.  Or,  it  may  be,  that  while  the  Christian  atmosphere 
is  not  lacking,  the  denominational  impulse  is  so  much  less  felt.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  this  formidable  fact  remains.  If  any  denomination 
lets  its  colleges  go  down,  its  churches  will  in  time  die  out  for  lack  of 
pastors ;  or  they  may  be  supplied  by  an  alien  ministry.  Would  tliat  be 
good  for  Texas  Presbyterianism?  One  may  say  that,  as  I  have  claimed 
for  the  State  University  ultimately  a  literary  eminency,  this  relegation 
of  the  education  of  our  pastors  to  the  denominational  college  must  result 
in  giving  the  church  pastors  of  culture  inferior  to  that  of  the  secular 
professions.  Such  result  does  not  follow.  For,  first,  many  of  our  best 
candidates,  after  fixing  a  stable  religious  character  and  aim,  will  avail 
themselves  of  the  fuller  advantages  of  the  University.  But,  second,  our 
Seminary  course  of  study  is  itself  a  long,  a  diversified,  and  a  noble  cul- 
ture. The  young  man  who  graduates  as  B.  A.  in  a  respectable  Christian 
college,  and  then  takes  his  three  years'  course  in  one  of  our  Semi- 
naries, is  truly  as  highly  educated  a  man  as  any  M.  A.  of  any  university. 
He  may  not  have  gone  so  deeply  as  that  M.  A.  into  the  niceties  of  Latin, 
philology  and  prosody,  or  the  shadowy  regions  of  the  calculus.  But  in 
his  three  years'  study  of  exegesis,  history  and  theology,  he  has  gotten  a 
far  nobler  and  broader  culture. 

"The  sum  of  the  matter  is  that  in  building  up  the  Presbyterian 
College  of  Texas,  you  are,  I  believe,  second  to  none  in  our  church. 
Every  minister  and  layman  in  our  church  ought  to  help  you  with  heart, 
tongue  and  hand.  I  wish  that  instead  of  earning  my  daily  bread  by 
my  own  industry,  I  had  the  means  of  one  of  your  great  cattle  kings 
or  bankers,  that  I  might  put  it  to  the  noblest  of  uses,  by  laying  the 
corner-stone  of  the  endowment  you  need. 

"Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

Dr.  Dabney  had  been  in  Texas  less  than  six  months,  when 
he  saw  that  the  Synod  of  Texas  could  never  overtake  its  work 
without  a  Texas  theological  school  for  the  training  of  its  min- 
isters. Every  Presbytery  was  cruelly  embarrassed  in  finding 
supplies  for  the  vacancies  in  its  bounds  from  the  older  Synods ; 
and  for  their  large,  rough,  new  mission  fields  it  was  simply 
impossible  to  command  supplies.  The  Texas  Presbyteries  fur- 
nished some  candidates,  but  "most  of  these  men  went  to  the 
eastern  seminaries  to  fit  themselves,  and  while  there  married 
and  settled  in  the  older  States."  So  true  was  this  that,  up  to 
the  year  1895,  Dr.  Dabney  could  recall  but  one  candidate,  who, 
having  pursued  his  course  in  an  eastern  Seminary,  hatl  come 
back  to  accept  licensure  and  work  in  a  Texas  Presbytery.  He 
looked  over  the  State  in  1884,  he  found  no  Presbyterian  school 
of  learning  for  males,  except  Austin  College,  at  Sherman,  then 
insolvent  and   in  a   state  of  suspended  animation.     The  only 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     471 

glimpses  of  hope  for  doing  anything  was  that  presented  in 
Austin,  by  the  presence  of  himself  and  Dr.  R.  K.  Smoot  and 
the  University  of  Texas.  In  the  spring  of  1884,  at  the  close  of 
a  week-day  prayer-meeting,  he  asked  Dr.  Smoot  for  an  inter- 
view with  him.  It  was  at  once  granted,  and  they  sat  for  a  long 
time  on  the  marble  steps  of  Dr.  Smoot's  church,  in  the  mild 
moonlight,  while  Dr.  Dabney  unfolded  his  plan,  which  was,  in 
substance,  this:  This  new  State  University  offers  free  tuition 
to  all  Texans.  A  Texan,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  being  a 
citizen  and  sovereign,  is  released  from  the  University  obliga- 
tion to  take  any  one  of  the  baccalaureate  courses,  and  is  entitled 
to  take  any  partial  course  preparing  himself  for  his  special 
calling.  The  citizen  who  proposes  to  be  an  architect,  surveyor, 
druggist,  physician,  lawyer,  has  a  right  to  pursue  the  limited 
special  studies  he  desires.  Why  not  also  the  citizen  proposing 
to  preach  the  gospel  ?  For  while  church  and  state  are  separate 
in  Texas,  certainly  Christianity  and  Christians  are  not  delegal- 
ized.  Our  candidates,  therefore,  can  take  such  University 
studies  as  they  need  in  this  University,  without  cost  to  the 
church,  not  only  under-graduate  studies,  but  those  specially 
related  to  divinity,  as  Greek,  history,  philosophy,  and  natural 
theology.  The  Faculty  was  then  a  Christian  body.  The  pro- 
fessor of  Greek  was  a  Presbyterian  Christian.  There  was  good 
ground  to  hope  that  the  University,  like  other  respectable  State 
institutions,  would  soon  establish  a  school  of  Semitic  languages, 
and  thus  teach,  also.  Hebrew.  Dr.  Dabney  was  himself  pro- 
fessor of  Philosophy  and  Natural  Theology,  a  Presbyterian  and 
a  theologian.  There  was  a  fair  chance  that  his  successor  might 
be  of  the  same  faith.  Thus  our  candidates  would  get  an  im- 
portant segment  of  their  training,  without  cost  to  the  church. 
Dr.  Dabney  declared  that  they  could  "legally  and  fairly  realize 
Sampson's  riddle,  that  for  Christianity  'out  of  the  eater  should 
come  forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  should  come  forth 
sweetness.'  "  He  proposed  to  teach  gratis  his  course  in  the- 
ology, and  that  Dr.  Smoot  should,  in  like  manner,  teach  a  course 
of  ecclesiastical  history  and  government,  and  that  he  would 
procure  from  Union  Seminary  a  senior  student,  or  graduate, 
who,  for  the  sake  of  a  small  salary,  would  teach  their  students 
Hebrew  and  New  Testament  Greek  for  a  time,  and  thus  prolong 
his  own  scholastic  opportunities,  and  take  his  chance  to  secure 
a  Texas  settlement  in  the  ministry.  Dr.  Dabney's  thought  was 
to  try  a  succession  of  such  young  men  of  his  own  selection. 


472        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

until  he  "got  hold  of  the  right  one,  who  had  in  him  the  makings 
of  a  great  biblical  professor."  To  him  they  would  hold  fast, 
and  on  him,  ultimately,  throw  the  main  weight  of  the  school. 
He  hoped  that  by  the  time  they  had  the  man,  they  should  also 
have  an  endowment  to  sustain  him,  and  that,  for  the  present, 
Central  Texas  Presbytery  should  pledge  itself  to  raise  six 
hundred  dollars  per  anninn  to  pay  this  young  teacher,  the  only 
teacher  to  be  paid  anything.  Dr.  Smoot  acquiesced  promptly 
and  cordially  in  this  plan. 

To  secure  due  church  authority,  they  offered  their  enterprise 
to  Central  Texas  Presbytery.  This  body  adopted  it  willingly, 
and  for  a  year  or  so  sustained  it  with  zeal.  They  commissioned 
Dr.  Dabney  as  their  teacher  of  theology,  and  Dr.  Smoot  as 
teacher  of  church  history  and  polity.  Dr.  Smoot  was  made  the 
executive  head  of  the  school,  it  being  thought  unwise  to  make 
Dr.  Dabney  the  head,  lest  friends  of  the  University  should 
suppose  that  his  energies  were  too  much  divided.  In  Dr.  Dab- 
ney's  eyes  the  charter  of  the  institution  was  a  bad  one,  and 
"always  obnoxious  to  a  good  part  of  the  Presbytery,  and  thor- 
oughly so  to  the  rest  of  the  Synod,  who  refused  to  do  anything 
for  us  except  'to  damn  us  with  faint  praise.'  "  The  Synod  of 
Texas  had  not  yet  decided  that  Austin  was  the  best  place  for 
the  theological  school.  Some  of  the  brethren  held  that  the 
Synod's  school  of  theology  should  be  established  at  Sherman, 
where  the  Presbyterian  College  is.  For  these  reasons,  as  well 
as  on  accovmt  of  lack  of  approbation  of  the  management  of  the 
school  at  Austin,  the  Synod  was  hardly  more  than  tolerant ; 
but  "Dr.  Smoot  obtained  some  good  subscriptions ;  Dr.  Dabney 
obtained  much  more  from  Baltimore,  Virginia  and  Kentucky. 
A  fine  lot  was  bought  on  Nueces  Street,  not  far  from  the 
University  grounds,  and  a  neat  library  and  lecture-room  built 
on  its  rear,  which  he  fondly  hoped  might  be  the  beginning  of  a 
handsome  mass  of  Seminary  buildings.  An  excellent  little 
library  of  twelve  hundred  volumes,  five  hundred  of  them  being 
Dr.  .Dabney's  gift,  and  the  cream  of  his  private  library,  was 
installed.  A  fund  of  four  thousand  one  hundred  dollars  was 
collected,  and  invested  as  the  beginning  of  an  endowment.  In 
i888-'89,  the  number  of  students  reached  twelve,  in  i889-'90 
thirteen,  two  more  students  than  L^nion  Seminary,  in  Virginia, 
had  when  Dr.  Dabney  was  elected  to  a  professorship  there. 
From  about  1891,  the  school  dragged.  It  was  suspended  in 
1895,  to  be  resumed  under  happier  auspices,  we  trust,  but  under 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     473 

no  greater  teacher  or  grander  man,  we  suppose,  in  this  vear, 
1902. 

Dr.  Dabney  continued  to  think  that  his  plan  was  well  con- 
ceived and  entirely  feasible.     He  wrote  in  1895: 

"With  reasonable  unity,  it  ought  to  have  been  by  this  time  well 
established,  and  not  only  a  great  blessing  to  the  Synod,  but  to  the  Uni- 
versity. It  was,  in  fact,  a  carrying  out  of  Mr.  Jefiferson's  sagacious 
plans  for  the  University  of  Virginia.  Nor  have  my  labors  been  thrown 
away.  This  little  school  has  given  the  church  twenty-seven  licentiates, 
in  spite  of  the  follies  and  neglects  of  the  Synod  and  the  Presbytery 
itself.  And  while  the  Synod  has  gotten  one  of  its  old  licentiates  back 
from  the  old  seminaries  in  twelve  years,  twenty  or  more  of  ours  are 
now  laboring  in  this  Synod.  Nor  will  this  school  finally  die.  It  may 
be  removed,  but  the  reasons  for  such  a  school  are  so  urgent  that  it  must 
inevitably  be  reopened  somewhere,  and  the  property  and  library  will 
again  be  utilized."  " 

Having  taught  theology  for  so  long  a  time,  his  work  for  his 
class  in  this  school  was  light,  a  sort  of  diversion,  a  means  of 
relief  and  luxuriation  rather  than  a  burden.  Such  also  was  his 
labor  towards  building  up  the  financial  basis  of  the  school. 
The  prospects  of  its  service  to  the  church  gave  him  an  agreeable 
topic  of  conversation  with  friends  at  the  springs,  and  to  write 
letters  on.  If  he  occasionally  laid  himself  out  in  a  letter  of 
thirty-five  pages  (he  did  this  once),  it  was  no  tax,  but  relief  for 
his  boiling  activities  of  mind  and  heart. 

His  services  in  the  behalf  of  the  church  at  large  continued  to 
be  very  considerable  throughout  this  period.  His  life  and  work, 
as  already  shown,  were  a  tower  of  strength  to  his  denomination. 
On  the  appointment  of  committees  of  conference,  with  a 
view  to  union,  by  the  two  Synods  of  Texas  (Northern  and 
Southern),  in  1893,  at  the  instigation  of  certain  brethren  of 
the  Northern  body,  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  committee 
appointed  by  the  Synod  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States.  These  committees  did  nothing  towards  union. 
His  work  as  chairman  was  done  with  all  his  old  energy,  and 
thoroughness  and  skill. 

He  was  much  consulted  about  matters  in  which  the  whole 

^"This  prophecy  is  in  process  of  fulfilment  now.  The  Seminary  is 
being  reestablished,  not  on  the  same  lot,  indeed,  but  in  more  ample 
grounds,  in  the  same  city,  and  under  the  auspices  of  the  whole  Synod. 
Was  Dr.  Dabney's  part  in  the  founding  of  the  present  Seminary  a  small 
one? 


474        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney, 

church  was  concerned.  During  the  Diet  of  Augsburg,  in  1530, 
Luther's  presence,  back  a  few  miles  at  Coburg,  gave  constant 
courage  and  inspiration  to  his  friends  in  the  city,  where  the 
court  sat.  So  Dr.  Dabney's  letters  were  not  without  their 
powerful  efifect  to  prevent  an  effort  to  amend  certain  sections 
of  the  Confession  of  Faith  in  1886,  and  following  years.  He 
writes  to  the  Rev.  Luicas  McCluer: 

"We  have  no  safe  course  but  just  to  work  along,  as  well  as  we  can, 
until  all  this  geologic  froth  is  blown  away  by  time,  as  it  will  be ;  mean- 
while, we  might  let  men  of  tender  consciences  at  their  ordination,  record 
their  own  preferred  view  of  creation.  As  for  evolution,  it  is  infidelity. 
No  advocate  of  it,  be  he  McCosh,  ...  or  whoever  he  may  be,  is 
going  to  stop  finally  where  Woodrow  does.  They  will  go  on  to  infidelity 
if  they  live  long  enough.  The  next  Assembly  is  going  to  be  a  very 
difficult  one  and  critical  one.  Do,  pray,  send  your  most  firm  and 
prudent  men.  See  that  a  good  elder  goes.  .  .  .  The  Assembly  ought 
to  squelch  this  plan  at  once  this  year."  " 

On  this  subject  and  on  fusion,  strong  men,  such  as  Dr.  G.  W. 
Finley  and  Dr.  G.  B.  Strickler,  were  fully  informed  of  his 
views,  and  while  always  independent  disciples  of  his,  betrayed 
more  or  less  of  his  great  handiwork  upon  them. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Green,  of  Danville,  Ky.,  consulted  him  in  the 
winter  of  1893  on  the  subject  of  our  stipendiary  system  of 
ministerial  education.  There  was  much  newspaper  discussion 
of  the  subject  in  the  early  'nineties.  Dr.  Green  is  opposed  to 
the  whole  genius  of  the  system.     He  writes : 

"Alexander  H.  Stephens,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Washington 
(Ga.)  Church,  of  which  I  was  pastor,  told  me  that  he  had  educated 
about  sixty  young  men,  but,  on  principle,  never  gave  one  of  them  a 
dollar.  They  had  manhood  and  self-respect,  and  repaid  without  interest 
the  money  advanced;  and  he  had  it  to  lend  to  others,  and  so  kept  his 
money  going.  Governor  Brown,  of  Georgia,  followed  the  same  plan. 
So  do  the  Binghams." 

In  answer  to  Dr.  Green's  letters,  Dr.  Dabney  wrote  two, 
from  which  the  following  portions  are  taken : 

"Austin,  Texas,  February  28,  1893. 
"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother:    The  erroneous  system  of  our  As- ■ 
sembly  has  so  filled  the  ministry  with  its  beneficiaries,  prejudiced  in 
favor  of  the  ladder  by  which  they  climbed  up,  that  I  suppose  a  healthy 
change   is   hopeless.     But   if  you   will    consult   my   collected   writings, 
Vol.  II.,  page  68,  V.,  you  will  there  find  my  matured  views  expressed 

"  March  2,  1886. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     475 

in  the  most  responsible  form.  They  are  only  strengthened  by  my  later 
experience.  It  may  interest  you  to  learn  how  and  when  I  received  the 
testimony  of  Dr.  Addison  Alexander  there  referred  to.  In  June,  1856, 
I  visited  him  in  Princeton.  He  declared  himself  thoroughly  dissatisfied 
with  the  Assembly's  Board  of  Education,  by  the  light  of  experience. 
He  wished  the  whole  plan  abolished.  I  said  to  him,  'Of  course  you  do 
not  wish  to  deprive  deserving  young  men  of  assistance  in  getting  an 
education?'  He  replied,  'No,  by  no  means.'  He  then  suggested  the 
plan  of  scholarships  which  I  have  outlined  in  my  Memorial.  He  said, 
the  detestable  point  about  our  plan  was  conditioning  the  aid  upon  the 
student's  indigence,  instead  of  his  merit.  That  this  was  an  insult  to  any 
right-minded  young  man's  self-respect,  exerting  a  degrading  influence 
on  him.  I  said  to  him,  'Well,  Doctor,  on  your  plan,  the  richest  young 
man  in  the  college,  happening  to  be  the  most  diligent  and  successful 
student,  would  get  the  prize,  and  thus  it  would  go  to  the  very  man 
who  did  not  need  it,  and  would  be  missed  by  the  very  man  who  did 
need  it;  which  would  be  a  virtual  waste  of  the  money.'  He  replied,  with 
great  animation,  'Let  it  turn  out  so,  sir.  I  don't  care  if  the  successful 
competitor  is  as  rich  as  Van  Renselaer,  if  he  wins  it  fairly,  let  him 
take  it.  Sir,  this  will  be  a  small  price  for  the  church  to  pay  in  order 
to  get  rid  of  this  wretched  and  contemptible  feature  of  selecting  a  fellow 
to  receive  a  prize,  not  because  he  is  worthy,  but  because  he  is  poor. 
But,  then,  the  Van  Rensalaer,  having  won  the  honor  as  he  deserves, 
would  be  very  likely  to  transfer  the  money  prize,  as  his  personal  gift, 
to  some  other  who  deserved  and  needed  it.'  Ever  since  that  conversa- 
tion I  have  remained  convinced  that  he  was  right. 

"Suppose  the  church  should  once  found  enough  of  the  scholarships, 
then  let  them  combine  Mr.  Stephen's  wise  principle,  making  it  a  loan 
to  be  repaid  out  of  the  first  earnings.  The  churches  will  be  rid  forever 
of  this  annual  incubus  of  the  education  collections,  and  the  expenses  of 
that  committee  might  be  abolished."     .     .     . 

"Austin,  TexaSj  March  19,  1893. 
"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  think  three  things  are  requisite  to 
make  the  debate  in  hand  effective  and  practical.  The  first  is,  you  should 
get  hard  and  biting  facts  to  lay  before  the  public.  For  instance:  the 
General  Assembly  has  passed  a  great  quantity  of  good  and  strict  rules; 
which  are  continually  broken.  As,  that  the  church  money  shall  be  given 
only  to  those  too  poor  to  educate  themselves.  That  the  Presbyteries 
shall  be  very  careful  in  accepting  candidates,  and  that  no  man  shall  get 
aid  until  thus  accepted.  That  no  student  shall  receive  double  aid,  once 
from  the  Assembly's  committee  and  again  from  a  scholarship,  or  a 
church  sewing  society,  etc.  Get  actual  cases  which  can  be  proved. 
First,  where  young  fellows  on  the  Assembly's  committee  whose  parents, 
professing  Presbyterians,  own  a  great  deal  more  property  than  the  good 
women  who  give  to  the  Assembly's  fund ;  and  the  only  cause  of  the 


476        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

young  man's  lack  of  money  is  that  species  of  meanness  in  him  and  his 
daddy  which  concurs  in  this  plan  for  saving  the  family  money  by  putting 
him  on  the  pauper  fund.  Show,  second,  that  Presbyteries  do  take 
young  men  whom  they  cannot  heartily  endorse  in  spite  of  the  Assem- 
bly's strict  rules;  by  adopting,  for  instance,  young  fellows  whom  their 
own  pastors  and  church  sessions  have  not  heartily  and  squarely  en- 
dorsed in  secret  meeting  of  Presbytery.  Prove,  third,  that  there  are 
cases  in  which  young  men  take  the  Assembly's  appropriation  and  then 
a  scholarship  in  the  Seminary,  or  a  donation  from  some  good  ladies, 

and  say  nothing  about  it!     I  believe  Dr. could  verify  such  cases, 

and  that  he  has  the  nerve  to  do  it. 

"We  must  squarely  avow  the  proposition  that  God  raises  up  many 
of  our  best  ministers  from  honest  families  of  small  or  no  wealth.  We 
squarely  admit  that  such  young  men  deserve  help.  We  assert  that  if  the 
Assembly  would  withdraw  its  bad  plan,  no  really  deserving  young  man 
would  fail  to  get  it.  There  is  nothing  which  appeals  so  warmly  and  so 
infallibly  to  individual  Christian  generosity  as  the  godly  aspiration  of  a 
really  deserving  young  man  to  educate  himself  for  the  highest  useful- 
ness. The  wisdom  of  the  church  is  to  rely  mainly  upon  these  individual 
benefactions ;  because  individual  patrons  who  are  spending  their  own 
money  on  a  young  man  will  do,  what  we  see  no  rules  will  make  the 
Presbyteries  do,  in  dispensing  other  people's  money,  ascertain  first  that 
the  young  man  is  really  of  high  promise  and  in  pious  earnest. 

"The  cases  under  head  first,  compared  with  this  natural  plan,  show 
that  our  present  lamentable,  slack  twistedness  in  helping  is  the  direct 
result  of  a  vital  fault  in  our  system,  which  will  never  be  corrected  by 
the  Assembly's  passing  strict  rules.     Nature  is  stronger  than  rules. 

"A  better  plan  should  be  offered  to  the  church  as  a  substitute.  I 
would  advise  the  one  outlined  by  Dr.  Addison  Alexander.  The  annual 
income  of  the  Assembly's  Committee  of  Education  should  be  thrown 
into  the  form  of  scliolarsliips  to  be  bestowed,  without  any  regard  for  the 
riches  or  poverty  of  the  winners,  upon  those  who  stood  highest  for 
Christian  character  and  scholarship  in  strict  competitive  examinations. 
Some  of  these  should  be  in  our  church  colleges ;  more  of  them  in  our 
seminaries.  They  should  hold  for  one  year,  unless  again  won  by  merit 
at  the  succeeding  annual  examination.  These  examinations  should  be 
strict,  and  the  scholarships  to  be  won,  if  at  all,  only  by  number-one 
young  men  !  I  should  desire  and  expect,  the  first  few  years,  a  pretty 
heavy  percentage  of  the  kind  of  fellows  our  committee  now  pensions 
to  be  cut  off.  The  consequence  would  be  that  the  Assembly's  committee 
would  pay  out  only  a  part,  probably  a  small  part,  at  first  of  its  annual 
income.  The  rest  could  be  used  to  endow  permanent  scholarships.  Lib- 
eral men  of  wealth,  like  Mr.  W.  Guthrie,  should  be  invited  to  endow 
others.  The  happy  result  would  be  that  in  ten  years  there  would  be 
enough  endowed  ones  for  all  the  worthy  winners ;  and  the  churches 
would  be  wholly  and  finally  relieved  of  this  irksome  collection. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     477 

"But  wouldn't  this  honest,  common-sense  plan  reduce  the  numbers 
in  our  theological  seminaries?  Whereat  the  good  directors  and  pro- 
fessors would  squirm !  Ah !  yes ;  and  there  is  the  pinch.  They  call  us 
Calvinists ;  but  instead  of  really  holding  John  Calvin's  motto,  'Esse  quam 
vidcri,'  we  are  too  much  tinctured  with  the  Yankee  gospel,  'Vive  la 
humbug.'    Yes,  there  is  the  pinch."     .     .    . 

During  these  years,  Dr.  Dabney  did  a  good  deal  of  preaching. 
He  was  a  man  whom  the  very  thoughtful  and  intelligent  liked 
to  hear.  So  not  only  at  Austin,  in  the  chapel  and  lecture-room, 
once  it  was  built,  did  he  preach,  but  on  his  trips  over  the  coun- 
try. For  example,  in  1886,  he  was  in  Baltimore  to  have  his  eyes 
examined.  He  preached.  A  very  intelligent  listener  has  writ- 
ten of  his  impressions  of  the  preacher  and  his  sermon : 

"In  the  early  part  of  1886  I  went  on  a  Sabbath  morning  to  the 
Franklin  Square  Presbyterian  Church,  Baltimore,  as  I  was  accustomed 
to  do,  being  then  a  student  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University.  For  some 
cause  I  was  quite  late,  and  was  disappointed  at  seeing  a  stranger  in  the 
pulpit  with  Dr.  Lefebre,  whom  I  had  expected  to  hear.  There  was  no 
introduction  of  the  stranger  after  my  entrance,  and  there  was  no  one 
near  me  to  tell  me  his  name.  His  appearance  did  not  much  impress 
me,  and  my  first  conjecture  was  that  some  elderly  brother  had  come 
in  on  Dr.  Lefevre,  and  courtesy  had  been  constrained  into  putting  him 
up  to  preach.  Then  when  announcement  was  made,  or  when  I  recalled 
that  on  next  Sabbath  the  Lord's  Supper  was  to  be  administered,  I  con- 
jectured that  the  pastor  had  invited  some  fellow-Presbyter,  personally 
liked  by  him,  to  preach  during  the  week  preceding,  the  pastor  of  some 
small  country  charge. 

"The  stranger  read  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah,  and  his  subject 
was  'The  Vicarious  Atonement.'  The  method  was  to  state  and  refute 
the  false  or  incomplete  theories  of  the  atonement,  and  then  to  establish 
the  true  theory.  The  discourse  lasted  an  hour  or  more.  I  was  soon 
listening  with  profound  interest.  I  abandoned  my  previous  conjecture 
concerning  the  identity  of  the  speaker.  When  he  had  been  speaking 
perhaps  half  an  hour,  stating  with  the  clearness  of  light  false  theories, 
and  crushing  them  to  powder  under  resistless  logic,  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  must  be  Dr.  Dabney.  I  had  never  seen  him  or  his 
picture,  but  had  heard  his  students  talk  of  his  teaching,  and  was  familiar 
with  his  writings  ;  and  I  saw  in  the  giant  reasoner,  aflame  with  scorn  of 
error  and  of  subterfuge,  yet  bowing  with  meekness  at  the  cross,  one 
so  like  our  great  Dabney,  that  Dabney  it  must  be.  And  so  it  turned 
out  to  be. 

"Since    that   day    I    have   understood   his   great    influence   upon    his 

pupils.     Such  a  teacher  is  a  rare  gift  to  any  church. 

,,_,,,„        ,,        ,  „  "F.  P.  R.\MS.\Y. 

Oxford,  Ala.,  March  9.  1901. 


478        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Meanwhile,  during  these  years.  Dr.  Dabney 's  physical  infirm- 
ities had  increased  to  a  most  painful  degree.  The  reader  will 
recall  that  he  had  begun  to  suffer  from  the  formation  of  urinary 
calculi  in  the  summer  of  1883.  The  pain  and  disturbance  be- 
ginning in  that  year  grew. steadily,  his  health  otherwise  improv- 
ing with  his  removal  to  Texas.  Prominent  physicians  in  Austin 
and  elsewhere  pronounced  his  trouble  cystitis,  and  that  after 
probing.  During  the  summer  of  1884,  his  family  being  at  Red 
Hill,  in  Amherst,  Va.,  he  went  first  to  the  Amherst  Buffalo 
Springs,  and  then  to  the  famous  Lithia  Springs  of  Mecklen- 
burg county,  Va.  There  was  no  amendment.  This,  he  thought, 
should  open  the  eyes  of  his  physicians,  as  it  excited  his  own 
suspicions.  They  continued  to  say  ''cystitis."  He  returned  to 
Austin  in  September,  1884,  in  much  and  constant  suffering. 
His  physician  still  said  "cystitis"  and  treated  him  for  this  all 
the  ensuing  session,  "with  many  nauseous,  saline  doses,  of 
which  belladonna  was  always  an  ingredient."  The  treatment 
was  in  vain.  In  June,  1885,  he  determined  that  he  "would  seek 
the  best  counsel  known  to  him."  He  went  straight  from  Austin 
to  Richmond,  Va.,  and  put  himself  under  the  care  of  an  old 
comrade.  "He  was  very  kind  ;  he  also  said  'cystitis,'  and  when 
I  urged  him  to  use  the  sound  and  ascertain  the  presence  or 
absence  of  calculus,  he  said,  'No,  it  is  useless,  I  can  tell  by  your 
countenance  that  there  is  none.'  So  he  prescribed  more  phos- 
phate and  alkali,  I  suspect  with  some  belladonna."  Dr.  Dabney 
again  tried  the  Amherst  Buffalo,  but  grew  worse  all  the  time. 
Late  in  the  summer  he  went  to  a  mountain  resort  to  let  another 
physician  try  the  case.  He  said  he  could  tell  nothing  till  he 
used  the  sound.  Doing  so,  he  immediately  discovered  a  large, 
rough  calculus.  He  said  it  must  come  out  or  destroy  the  suf- 
ferer. The  patient  accordingly  underwent  the  operation  of 
lithotrity,  much  in  the  fashion  at  the  time — an  operation  at- 
tended, in  his  case,  by  awful  sufferings,  and  followed  by  most 
serious  consequences.  These  consequences  he  describes  as 
follows : 

"Soon  after  I  got  through  with  it,  the  leading  surgeons  began  to 
notice  that  Hthotrity  was  followed  in  too  many  cases  by  hypertrophy 
of  the  prostate  glands,  resulting  from  the  bruising,  a  permanent  and 
incurable  evil.  It  was  precisely  so  in  my  case.  The  evil  grew  grad- 
ually for  five  years,  causing  increasing  anguish,  at  times  beyond  de- 
scription. Now.  indeed,  this  constriction  caused  me  'cystitis'  in  good 
earnest.      This   became    worse    and   worse,    until    in   January,    1890,    it 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     479 

brought  me  to  death's  door.  One  of  the  physicians  gave  me  over  to 
die  at  once.  In  the  old  States  my  death  was  reported,  and  my  obituaries 
written  and  published." 

During  this  sickness,  Dr.  Dabney  was  much  comforted  by 
the  devotion  shown  him  by  his  friends  throughout  the  church, 
and  by  the  members  of  his  own  family.  Numerous  and  most 
appreciative  letters  showered  in  upon  him.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Wm. 
Brown,  himself  blind  already  for  five  years  at  the  time,  writes, 
on  February  3,  1890,  to  his  brother  in  blindness,  "whose  suf- 
ferings, in  fact,  have  been  among  the  very  greatest  the  human 
frame  can  endure : 

"I  trust,  my  dear  brother,  that  in  the  midst  of  all  your  trials  you  are 
sustained  by  the  consolation  of  him  who  said  to  his  servant  ages  ago, 
'My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest.'  I  am  sure 
that  you  will  be  remembered  most  affectionately  in  the  prayers  of 
brethren  and  Christians  who  have  known  and  loved  you,  not  for  your 
sake  alone,  but  for  Christ's  sake;  and  for  the  great  and  good  work 
which  you  have  been  enabled  to  perform  for  the  sake  of  his  church." 

On  the  same  day,  Dr.  C.  R.  Vaughan  wrote : 

"N.  P.  Manse,  February  3,  1890. 
"Dear  Dabney:  Yours  of  the  28th,  just  received,  relieved  a  tension 
of  feeling  which  has  held  me  painfully  ever  since  Mrs.  Dabney's  last. 
I  dreaded  to  hear,  and  then  to  hear  you  are  in  any  degree  better  was 
an  inexpressible  comfort.  It  melted  me  to  hear  of  your  prayers  for  faith 
and  dying  grace.  The  stress  of  such  constant  and  severe  bodily  pain 
is  enough  of  itself  to  try  you ;  and  the  tempter  is  sure  to  use  it  to  affect 
your  hope.  Pray  on,  dear  old  soldier,  of  course ;  but  listen  to  me 
awhile.  I  want  to  give  you  a  morsel  of  honey  out  of  one  of  my  dead 
lions,  though,  in  fact,  there  is  a  large  herd  of  them  still  living,  and 
they  roar  on  me  often  till  I  am  sick  with  fears.  You  want  more  faith. 
Do  you  remember,  in  the  stress  of  your  trial,  how  faith  comes?  Let  me 
remind  you,  although  you  know  it.  You  know  we  are  sanctified  through 
the  truth.  Sanctification  is  just  the  growth  of  the  particular  graces  of 
the  spirit,  of  which  faith  is  one.  Just  here  is  where  Christians  make  a 
great  mistake.  When  they  want  more  faith,  or  want  to  know  whether 
the  faith  they  have  is  the  right  sort  of  faith,  instead  of  looking  at  the 
things  to  be  believed,  they  turn  their  eyes  inward  and  scrutinize  their 
faith.  They  want  to  see  something  in  their  faith  to  trust  in,  something 
that  will  certify  their  faith.  Of  course,  self-examination  is  all  right, 
but  not  when  it  practically  substitutes  faith  for  our  Lord,  grace  and 
righteousness.  Even  a  great  theological  thinker  is  as  apt  to  make  that 
mistake  when  he  has  come  into  the  practical  stress  of  this  awful  world 


480        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

as  a  common  Christian.  Now,  suppose  a  traveller  comes  to  a  bridge, 
and  he  is  in  doubt  about  trusting  himself  to  it.  What  does  he  do  to 
breed  confidence  in  the  bridge?  He  looks  at  the  bridge;  he  gets  down 
and  examines  it.  He  don't  stand  at  the  bridge-head  and  turn  his 
thoughts  curiously  in  on  his  own  mind  to  see  if  he  has  confidence  in  the 
bridge.  If  his  examination  of  the  bridge  gives  him  a  certain  amount 
of  confidence,  and  yet  he  wants  more,  how  does  he  make  his  faith  grow? 
Why.  in  the  same  way ;  he  still  continues  to  examine  the  bridge.  Now, 
my  dear  old  man,  let  j'our  faith  take  care  of  itself  for  awhile,  and  you 
just  think  of  what  you  are  allowed  to  trust  in.  Think  of  the  Master'3 
power,  think  of  his  love;  think  how  he  is  interested  in  the  soul  that 
searches  for  him,  and  will  not  be  comforted  until  he  finds  him.  Think 
of  what  he  has  done,  his  work.  That  blood  of  his  is  mightier  than  all 
the  sins  of  all  the  sinners  that  ever  lived.  Don't  you  think  it  will  master 
yours f  Think  of  his  great  righteousness;  will  it  not  avail  for  all  you 
hope  to  gain  ?  That  great  work  is  enough ;  it  needs  not  to  be  supple- 
mented ;  it  meets  every  demand.  It  warrants  you  to  come  into  the 
King's  very  presence,  assured  of  welcome,  because  you  can  come  in  the 
name  of  the  King's  Son.  That  work  of  Christ  is  like  a  bankrupt  for 
ten  thousand  dollars  allowed  to  draw  on  the  revenues  of  an  empire  to 
pay  out.     Think  of  the  Master  when  you  want  your  faith  to  grow. 

"Now,  dear  old  friend,  I  have  done  to  you  just  \Yhat  I  would  want 
you  to  do  to  me  if  I  were  lying  in  your  place.  The  great  theologian, 
after  all,  is  just  like  any  other  one  of  God's  children,  and  the  simple 
gospel  talked  simply  to  him  is  just  as  essential  to  his  comfort  as  it  is 
to  a  milk-maid  or  to  a  plow-boy.  May  God  give  you  grace,  not  to  lay 
too  much  stress  on  your  faith,  but  to  grasp  the  great  ground  of  con- 
fidence, Christ,  and  all  his  work  and  all  his  personal  fitness  to  be  a 
sinner's  refuge.  Faith  is  only  an  eye  to  see  him.  I  have  been  praying 
that  God  would  quiet  your  pains  as  you  advance,  and  enable  you  to  see 
the  gladness  of  the  gospel  at  every  step.  Good-bye.  God  be  with  you 
as  he  will.    Think  of  the  Bridge ! 

"Your  brother,  C.  R.  V." 

The  North  Carolina  Presbyterian  of  February  19.  1890, 
on  the  rumor  of  his  death,  published  a  two-column  article 
headed.  "Death  of  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney."  The  article  was  from 
the  facile  pen  of  Dr.  P.  H.  Hoge.  then  of  Wilmington,  \\niile 
containing  the  spice  of  dissent  from  his  great  teacher  on  one 
point,  the  paper  is  a  most  appreciative  one.  In  speaking  of 
Dabney,  as  teacher  and  preacher,  this  paper  says : 

"To  a  greater  extent  than  any  man  we  have  ever  known,  he  had 
the  faculty  of  imparting  knowledge.  His  vast  funds  of  information, 
digested  by  his  philosophical  and  original  intellect,  gave  him  an  inex- 
haustible store  of  illustration,  upon  which  he  drew  ad  libitum,  so  that 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     481 

there  was  not  a  subject,  no  matter  how  profound  or  abstruse,  that  he 
could  not  present  in  the  light  of  every-day  affairs.  At  the  same  time, 
he  had  the  equally  important  faculty  of  drawing  out  the  knowledge  of 
each  student,  and  having  found  out  what  he  already  knew,  of  building 
on  that  foundation  the  structure  of  the  new  truth  he  wished  to  impart. 
But  teaching  has  a  moral  side,  as  well  as  an  intellectual,  and  we  wish 
to  bear  testimony  to  the  fact,  which  will  be  recognized  as  true  by  all  his 
students,  that  there  could  never  have  been  any  teacher  more  considerate 
to  ignorance,  more  patient  with  dullness,  more  kindly  in  correction, 
and  more  gentle  ih  reproof,  than  was  this  great  man.  Those  who  knew 
him  only  in  the  arena  of  polemical  debate  could  have  no  conception  of 
the  fatherly  tenderness  of  the  man,  that  made  his  students  feel  sure  of 
personal  sympathy  and  friendly  counsel  in  every  trouble  or  perplexity 
that  they  brought  to  him. 

"We  have  left  ourselves  no  space  to  speak  of  Dr.  Dabney  as  a 
preacher;  but  such  a  man  could  only  have  been  a  great  preacher,  and  a 
great  preacher  he  was.  In  heart-searching  power,  in  terrible  denuncia- 
tion of  sin,  in  grand  presentation  of  great  themes,  he  was  unsurpassed, 
while  few  could  approach  him  in  the  melting  tenderness  with  which  he 
presented  a  Saviour's  love.  Like  the  sun,  he  was  all  light  and  heat  and 
power." 

When  Dr.  Dabney  heard  this  estimate,  and  that  in  the  Soufh- 
zvestern  Presbyterian,  read  to  him,  he  said,  'There  should  have 
been  more  of  censure  and  less  of  praise."  About  the  time  these 
notices  reached  him,  Mrs.  Dabney  received  the  follov^ing  letter : 

"Charleston,  S.  C,  64  Rutledge  Street,  February  24,  1890. 
"My  Dear  Mrs.  Dabney  :  Ever  since  I  read  the  notice  of  your  dear 
husband's  death,  my  heart  has  been  impatient  to  pour  out  its  feeble 
libation  of  sympathy,  and  lay  its  humble  tribute  upon  the  grave  of  the 
great  and  honored  servant  of  God.  I  knew  him  chiefly  through  the 
enthusiastic  admiration  of  his  pupils  and  the  printed  page,  which  so 
wonderfully  transcribes  the  scholar  and  the  theologian,  and  so  feebly 
reproduces  the  living  personality,  the  grand,  noble-hearted  man.  I  shall 
always  regard  it  as  one  of  the  most  fortunate  events  of  my  life  that 
we  were  providentially  thrown  together  a  few  weeks  at  'Cold  Sulphur 
Springs,'  Virginia.  Some  one  has  said  that  men  will  cross  the  ocean  to 
view  a  mountain,  or  a  waterfall,  a  venerable  ruin,  or  a  masterpiece  of 
art,  but  'the  grandeur  of  the  human  spirit  excelleth  them  all.'  I  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  truth  of  this  remark,  as  I  sat  at  the  feet  of 
this  intellectual  giant  as  he  poured  forth  the  torrent  of  his  learning  and 
eloquence,  and  as,  in  his  blindness,  infirmities  of  age,  and  physical  weak- 
ness, he  reminded  me  of  a  hoary  temple,  whose  strong  pillars  were  shat- 
tered, whose  lofty  arches  were  sprung,  and  upon  whose  stately  dome 
the  moss  was  gathering.  I  would  have  travelled  a  long  distance  to  have 
31 


482        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

seen  this  master  spirit,  and  felt  the  touch  of  his  magnetic  personality, 
and  the  throbbing  of  his  great  human  heart.  Having  known  him  only- 
through  his  controversial  writings,  I  was  prepared  to  meet  a  stern  and 
rugged  warrior,  an  austere  man,  devoid  of  human  sensibility.  But  when 
I  felt  the  warm  pressure  of  his  hand,  looked  into  his  kindly,  benignant 
face,  and  heard  his  cordial  greeting,  I  was  assured  that  his  heart  was  as 
great  as  his  intellect;  that  if,  with  clenched  hand,  he  could  smite  false- 
hood to  the  earth,  he  extended  a  warm,  open  palm  to  all  mankind,  and 
his  heart  was  a  fountain  of  generous  and  tender  sympathies  for  every 
object  of  human  compassion.  You  will  remember  our  morning  walks 
and  reading  together,  when  it  was  both  a  profit  and  pleasure  to  me  to 
minister  to  him  in  his  infirmity.  It  was  during  these  free  and  friendly 
interviews  that  he  opened  to  me  both  his  mind  and  his  heart,  so  that 
I  knew  not  which  I  ought  to  admire  most,  the  scholar  or  the  man,  and 
I  felt  when  we  parted  that  he  had  won  my  love,  as  well  as  my  admira- 
tion. I  was  particularly  impressed  with  the  versatility  of  his  genius, 
and  his  marvellous  familiarity  with  all  subjects  upon  which  we  touched 
in  our  conversation.  When  we  visited  the  deserted  foundry,  he  ex- 
plained to  me  every  part  of  the  complex  machinery,  and  the  process  of 
manufacturing  iron,  including  the  minutest  details.  Sitting  together  on 
a  log,  near  a  running  brook,  he  called  the  trees  and  the  flowers  by  name, 
and  talked  familiarly  of  the  habits  of  insects,  birds  and  animals.  When 
the  conversation  turned  upon  the  state  of  his  health,  one  could  readily 
have  imagined  that  he  was  listening  to  a  learned  physician.  Sometimes 
he  would  pause  by  the  wayside,  and  moving  his  cane  over  a  section  of 
exposed  strata,  stand  an  hour,  discoursing  on  geology,  and  giving  the 
evolutionists  some  hard  blows,  but  evincing  a  very  wide  range  of  read- 
ing and  profound  study.  We  reviewed  together  the  whole  history  of 
the  war,  which  could  hardly  be  written  without  embracing  many  a 
thrilling  chapter  from  his  own  personal  experience.  This  led  to  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  relation  of  our  country  to  other  nations,  when  his  pro- 
digious memory  opened  like  a  library,  from  which  the  Doctor  read 
whatever  he  wanted,  recalling  historic  incidents  and  dates  with  amazing 
promptness  and  accuracy.  All  these  learned  discussions  were  enlivened 
with  interesting  and  amusing  anecdotes,  of  which  his  memory  seemed 
to  hold  most  tenaciously  every  detail.  His  fund  of  wit  and  humor  was 
apparently  infinite.  It  remains  only  to  add  that  which  impressed  me 
most  of  all :  through  the  whole  body  of  his  discourse  ran  the  throbbing 
veins  of  vital  piety,  deep  reverence  for  the  infinite  God.  ardent  love 
for  the  Redeemer,  loyal  devotion  to  the  church,  and  a  profound  sorrow 
on  account  of  increasing  indifference  to  'sound  doctrine,'  and  prevailing 
worldliness. 

"But  my  pen  is  running  away  with  me.  and  I  must  hasten  to  the 
chamber  of  bereavement,  and  sit  with  you  long  enough  beneath  the 
shadow  of  death  to  mingle  my  tears  with  yours.  I  have  been  thinking 
of  the  great  loss  the  church  has  sustained;  but  many  noble  champions 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     483 

of  truth  remain,  while  in  the  loneliness  of  widowhood,  and  in  the 
solitude  of  your  grief,  you  must  go  alone  the  remainder  of  your  journey. 
May  the  Master,  whom  your  beloved  husband  so  faithfully  served,  and 
who  so  strengthened  and  comforted  him  in  his  declining  days,  keep 
you  company  on  your  lonely  journey,  and  the  light  of  heaven  shine 
brighter  and  brighter  on  your  pathway.  You  will  live  much  in  the  past ; 
but  if  the  sun  of  your  life  has  set,  the  sky  is  full  of  bright  and  precious 
memories.  I  shall  look  with  eagerness  for  a  full  account  of  the  last 
hours  of  Dr.  Dabney.  Mrs.  Brackett  joins  me  in  these  expressions  of 
love  and  sympathy. 

"Your  sincere  friend,  G.  R.  Brackett." 

A  little  later,  Dr.  William  S.  Lacy,  of  Norfolk,  wrote: 

"68  BousH  Street,  Norfolk,  Va.,  February  21,  1890. 
"Rev.  Robert  L.  Dabney,  D.  D.,  Austin,  Texas. 

"My  Dear  and  Honored  Preceptor:  I  cannot  tell  how  grieved  and 
saddened  I  was  to  read  of  your  failing  health  and  growing  weakness  and 
infirmity,  and,  indeed,  to  read  the  announcement  of  your  demise  in  the 
North  Carolina  Presbyterian  of  Wednesday  last.  And  when  I  saw  the 
Central  this  morning,  and  the  statement  that  a  dispatch  from  Austin 
of  last  Saturday  reported  that  you  were  a  little  stronger,  I  was  greatly 
relieved.  I  hasten  at  once  to  fill  a  long-cherished  purpose  of  writing  to 
you,  not  of  course  asking  or  hoping  for  any  response,  but  to  acknow- 
ledge a  life-long  obligation  to  you,  and  to  assure  you  of  my  warm 
affection  and  profound  sympathy  for  you  in  these  severe  and  aggravated 
sufferings  you  are  called  to  bear. 

"I  am  the  more  anxious  to  say  this  to  you,  because  my  last  communi- 
cation from  you  was,  owing  to  circumstances  peculiarly  embarrassing, 
overlooked  and  unacknowledged  by  me.  It  was  with  reference  to  the 
choice  of  your  devoted  friend  (and  one  whom  I  greatly  esteem)  as 
Professor  in  Union  Seminary,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Vaughan.  May  I  say  at  this 
late  day,  that  your  letters  reached  me  during  a  severe  and  protracted 
attack  of  cystitis,  followed  by  painful  abscess ;  that  I  was  barely  able 
to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Board;  that  my  cousin,  Matt  Lacy,  and 
my  personal  friend,  Dr.  Latimer,  were  both  pressed  upon  me  (though 
neither  kinship  nor  friendship  should  have  swayed  my  action),  and 
that  I  did  what  I  could  for  Dr.  Vaughan  until  I  saw  he  was  not  the 
choice  of  the  Board.  But  that,  more  than  all,  I  was  not  aware  I  had 
not  answered  your  letters  (coming  during  my  sickness)  until  so  long 
afterwards  I  was  then  ashamed  to  write. 

"With  great  sorrow  have  I  noted  the  encroachments  of  painful  and 
fettering  infirmities,  and  wondered  at  the  dealings  of  Providence  in  so 
hindering  one  who  had  been  and  could  still  have  been  so  largely  useful. 
It  seemed  so  strange  that  one  to  whom  eyesight  meant  so  much,  should 
become  impaired  in  vision.     That  the  mental  vision  was  unimpaired, 


484        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

■"The  Latest  Infidelity'  attests.  And  you  may  be  sure  among  the  students 
who  look  to  you  as  their  father,  their  leader,  many  and  fervent  have 
been  the  prayers  that  you  may  be  sustained  under  such  afflictions,  and 
that  your  venerable  life  may  be  spared  to  the  church  and  to  our 
country. 

"I  hardly  know  how  to  express  myself  as  I  begin  to  speak  of  per- 
sonal obligations.  I  went  to  the  Seminary  merely  a  youth,  with  some- 
thing, I  hope,  of  a  right  and  noble  purpose,  but  with  such  crude  views, 
such  undisciplined  mind,  such  inchoate  ideas  of  what  a  minister  should 
be  or  do  or  say  or  know.  This  is  tardy  acknowledgment,  but  I  want  to 
thank  you  again  and  again,  for  many  a  word  that  encouraged,  for  many 
a  prayer  that  helped,  for  many  an  evidence  of  kindly  regard  and  sympa- 
thetic aid,  as  well  as  for  the  strong  and  luminous  and  stimulating  in- 
struction given.  No  one  knows  better  than  I  how  poorly  I  have  im- 
proved my  opportunities,  and  I  may  have  been  a  disappointment  to  some, 
and  this  is  no  time  for  regrets  or  excuses.  But  for  clear  views  of  truth, 
convictions  more  or  less  positive,  and  a  system  of  theological  belief, 
robust,  reasonable  and  warm  with  life,  I  am  altogether  indebted  to  you. 
Your  volume  on  Theology  is  my  vade  mecuni,  and  what  you  have  said 
on  any  theme  has  been  to  me  the  word  of  a  master.  After  all,  I  am 
not  saying  what  I  wanted  to;  it  is  not  admiration  I  feel.  Dr.  Dabney, 
but  personal  attachment.  My  father  has  entered  into  rest  (oh!  how 
he  loved  and  honored  and  admired  you!),  and  while  ties  of  blood  have 
bound  me,  perhaps,  more  closely  to  others,  for  you  I  feel  a  son's  devo- 
tion and  regard.  And  with  all  my  heart  I  pray  that  you  may  be  spared 
to  us,  that  you  may  be  delivered  from  great  suffering  and  sustained 
under  it,  and  at  the  last — at  the  /a.y;— that  must  come  to  us  all  some 
time,  underneath  you  may  be  the  Everlasting  Arms. 

"Very  sincerely  and  affectionately  yours, 
.    .  "Wm.  S.  Lacy." 

His  sons  had  gathered  in  Austin  in  January,  with  minds  full 
of  the  overshadowing  probabihty  of  his  death,  and  to  the 
devoted  nursing  of  the  eldest.  President  Charles  W.  Dabney,  of 
the  University  of  Tennessee,  the  prolongation  of  his  life  was 
probably  as  much  due  as  to. the  skill  of  his  physicians.  He 
threw  himself,  with  all  his  vast  energy  and  special  knowledge 
of  the  physical,  into  the  task  of  saving  his  father's  life,  and 
restoring  him  to  at  least  partial  health. 

During  this  three  months  of  extreme  illness  the  physicians 
had  made  a  large  use  of  opium,  or  its  derivative  alkaloids,  in 
treating  him,  and  when  .able  to  resume  his  work  again,  he 
found  himself  in  the  nascent  clutches  of  the  opium  habit.  Here 
was  an  occasion  for  the  exhibition  of  character.  Many  men, 
old  as  he,  would  have  said:  "I  am  old;    I  cannot  live  long. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     485 

Providence  has  made  it  possible  for  me  to  live  measurably  free 
from  pain,  and  thus  to  do  my  work.  My  work  may  be  made 
even  more  brilliant  by  the  judicious  use  of  this  drug."  He  had, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  according  to  the  testimony  of  his  nurses, 
when  under  the  influence  of  this  drug,  given  peculiarly  brilliant 
expositions  of  some  of  David's  Psalms.  At  times  he  had  been 
determined  to  talk,  and  his  nurses  had  not  been  able  to  restrain 
him.  But  Dr.  Dabney  knew  every  such  argument  was  seduc- 
tive. He  resolutely  set  himself  to  quit  the  use  of  it,  and,  by  the 
sheer  might  of  his  inexorable  will,  steadily  reduced  his  doses, 
too  fast  the  physician  said,  for  a  few  weeks,  and  then  stopped  it 
altogether. 

This  grave  illness  taught  him  the  absolute  necessity  of  arti- 
ficial cystic  relief.  To  this  he  came  down  in  good  earnest  to  the 
partial  relief  of  his  sufferings.  His  health  thenceforth  to  1894, 
though  "sorrv  enough/'  was  really  less  uncomfortable  than  in 
the  years  1883  to  1890. 

The  reader  has  been  made  acquainted  with  Dr.  Dabney's 
long  treatment  with  belladonna.  In  the  summer  of  1885,  before 
the  surgical  operation  for  the  calculus,  he  began  to  notice  that 
he  was  becoming  subject  to  astigmatism.  During  the  weeks  of 
the  operation,  in  September  and  October,  1885,  at  the  Rock- 
bridge Baths,  he  was  kept  under  the  influence  of  morphia  and 
belladonna  combined.  When  he  began  to  go  abroad,  after  con- 
valescence, he  found  himself  near-sighted  and  with  more  astig- 
matism. Thus  he  returned  to  his  work  in  Austin.  He  doubt- 
less inherited  a  tendency  to  cataract  from  his  grandfather  and 
from  his  mother,  but  his  disease  was  not  cataract,  but  glaucoma, 
"the  very  form  which  the  abuse  of  belladonna  tends  to  pro- 
duce." Dr.  Dabney  attributed  his  blindness,  "in  part,"  to  his 
"good  doctors,"  and,  in  part,  to  the  hard  anguish  consequent 
oil  his  calculus,  and  the  methods  employed  to  relieve  him 
of  it. 

In  April,  1866,  he  was  urged  to  submit  to  the  operation  of 
iridectomy.  He  went  to  Baltimore  to  get  the  services  of  the 
famous  Dr.  Chisholm.  He  "had  no  faith  in  it,  but  submitted." 
for  this  sole  reason,  "to  prevent  his  wife  and  sons  reproaching 
him"  with  the  neglect  of  any  possible  escape  from  blindness, 
which  he  was  now  sure  he  was  to  be  afflicted  with.  "Dr.  Chis- 
holm operated  on  both  eyes,  doing  no  good."  Rev.  Dr.  Murk- 
land,  from  whose  and  Mrs.  Murkland's  hands  Dr.  Dabney 
received  great  kindness  during  his  stay  in  Baltimore,  united 


486        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

with  the  venerable  Air.  Charles  William  Dabney,  of  Hanover, 
in  urging  his  brother  to  go  home,  let  specialists  alone,  and  let 
Providence  take  its  course. 

From  1886  to  1889  his  sight  became  dimmer  and  dimmer, 
until  the  light  went  out  absolutely.  On  walking  into  his  own 
brightly  lighted  parlor  of  an  evening,  he  would  often  ask 
whether  the  light  was  on,  and  that,  too,  when  facing  the  chande- 
lier. Often  when  the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  he  would  ask 
his  companion  of  the  day  whether  the  sun  shone,  or  whether  it 
were  cloudy ;  and  in  case  of  a  somewhat  surprised  answer  that 
"the  light"  of  the  "sun"  was  "brilliantly  shining,"  he  would 
quietly  say,  "The  darkness  and  the  light  are  the  same  to  me." 
After  1889,  he  was  absolutely  sightless. 

He  dreaded  the  coming  horror  of  darkness  until  the  light 
had  almost  gone,  and  then  his  dread  passed  away.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1887,  still  in  the  clutches  of  a  severe  attack  of  "cystitis," 
he  wrote  to  his  son.  Dr.  Charles  W.  Dabney : 

"I  find  these  attacks  destroying  my  remnant  of  eyesight  very  steadily. 
My  vision,  I  knew,  had  been  slowly  declinin'g  since  I  left  Austin.  In 
the  last  five  days  I  have  lost  as  much  ground  as  in  the  previous  three 
months.  The  prospect  thus  suggested  is  well  calculated  to  test  one's 
fortitude ;  of  a  hopeless  blindness,  making  me  not  only  useless,  but  a 
burden  to  my  family,  and  continued  apparently  only  for  the  suffering 
which  its  prolongation  may  involve.  ...  If  I  have  strength  to  reach 
Austin  at  all,  I  am  going  to  work  on  there  as  long  as  it  is  in  any  way 
possible,  and  try  to  die  in  the  harness." 

Some  months  later,  apparently  picking  up  courage,  once 
more  he  appealed  to  a  specialist,  in  Atlanta,  and  was  told  that 
there  was  no  hope  for  any,  even  the  most  partial,  vision.  That 
was  one  of  the  hours  when  the  shadows  lay  heavy  upon  him. 
When  he  returned  from  the  great  doctor's  office  that  day  to  the 
home  of  his  friend,  Dr.  G.  B.  Strickler,  he  is  said  to  have  looked 
as  if  he  had  fought,  with  all  the  resources  of  his  power,  and 
been  hopelessly  beaten,  like  a  brave  soldier,  who  had  spent 
himself  to  the  utmost,  but  had  been  overcome  and  taken  captive 
by  his  enemy,  doomed.  He  went  ofif  alone  on  the  piazza,  and 
there  for  two  hours  fought  another  battle,  with  himself,  for 
readjustment  to  God's  providence.  The  fight  was  severe, 
but,  by  the  arms  of  faith  and  prayer,  by  the  invincible  might  of 
God's  little  ones,  he  won.  He  returned  to  the  company  cheerful 
and  happy.    He  had  recognized  the  inevitable,  and  the  hand  of 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     487 

God  in  his  affliction,  and  he  had  formed  a  new  plan  of  action, 
and  squared  himself  for  the  new  course.  That  evening  he 
would  not  suffer  the  little  daughter  of  his  friend  Strickler  to 
lead  him  about,  as  she  had  been  doing  during  his  stay.  He 
kindly  told  her  that  he  must  learn  to  go  about  as  a  blind  man. 
That  night  he  would  not  permit  his  devoted  wife  to  put  away 
his  clothing,  but  fixed  some  chairs,  and  placed  his  articles  of 
clothing  so  that  he  could  get  them  the  next  morning,  in  order, 
himself.  Following  out  his  plan  further,  he  soon  employed  a 
private  secretary  to  write  at  his  dictation,  and  to  read  for  him. 
that  he  might  go  on  with  his  studies.  He  went  to  the  more 
careful  cultivation  of  his  memory,  treasured  up  tracts  of  Scrip- 
ture, prepared  for  his  classes  so  that  he  could  go  through  his 
lectures,  from  start  to  finish,  in  an  orderly  manner,  without  aid 
of  any  sort ;  took  care  to  prevent  absent-mindedness  and  every 
weakening  of  his  mental  abilities.  In  case  of  his  forgetting  to 
mail  letters  in  passing  a  post  box,  he  would  not  allow  a  friend 
to  carry  them  back  for  him.  To  the  oft'er  he  would  say,  "No,  I 
must  not  allow  forgetfulness  to  grow,  I  must  whip  myself  for 
this  case  by  walking  back  to  that  box,"  and  back  he  would  go. 
feeling  his  way  with  a  stick.  He  lived  a  brave,  strong,  beautiful 
life  during  these  years  of  sense  blindness. 

He  had  his  days  and  hours  of  heaviness,  but  he  was  uni- 
formly cheerful  in  the  presence  of  his  friends.  He  has  said  of 
this  period  of  his  sufferings  : 

"It  was  while  eyesight  was  finally  fading  out  that  my  cystitis  became 
most  agonizing,  say  in  the  autumn  of  1889.  Sometimes  in  my  midnight 
sufferings  I  said  to  myself,  'Here,  then,  am  I  locked  in  for  life  in  a 
dungeon  of  Egyptian  darkness,  and  now  this  wild-cat  pain  is  shut  ia 
with  me,  to  rend  me  in  my  helplessness.'  But  usually  I  maintained  a 
calm  fortitude,  and  waited  upon  God  in  prayer  for  an  unmurmuring 
patience.  Without  the  Christian's  hope,  such  an  existence  would  have 
been  unendurable.  But  with  it,  I  can  honestly  testify  that  my  years  of 
infirmity  have  been  far  from  being  years  of  unmixed  sorrow,  either  by 
reason  of  present  suffering  or  the  pains  of  anticipation.  I  have  known 
always  that  more  or  less  of  acute  pain  is  to  be  my  daily  lot,  until  death 
ends  it;  but  I  have  the  humble  assurance  that  death  will  end  it,  and 
that  then  the  suffering  of  this  present  time  shall  not  be  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  glory  that  shall  follow.  This  hope,  the  devoted 
sympathy  of  my  wife  and  sons,  with  cheerful  Christian  society,  have 
made  most  of  my  days  far  from  gloomy;  and  I  always  strive  during 
the  seasons  of  respite  not  to  think  of  the  pain  that  is  to  recur,  but  to  be 
as  cheerful  and  helpful  as  it  is  permitted  me  to  be." 


488        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

In  1890,  as  total  loss  of  eyesight  had  fallen  upon  him,  Dr. 
Dabney  offered  the  absolute  resignation  of  his  professorship  in 
the  University  of  Texas.  In  this  he  was  moved  by  the  most 
disinterested  feelings.  The  regents  unanimously  declined  to 
accept  it.  They  proposed  a  new  contract,  offering  him  half  pay 
for  half  the  amount  of  work  he  had  been  doing,  or  for  any  less 
portion  which  he  might  find  convenient,  provided  he  would 
relinquish  half  his  salary  for  the  payment  of  an  adjunct.  He 
accepted  service  on  the  new  conditions,  and  continued  in  high 
favor  at  least  to  the  end  of  the  session  of  1890-91,  as  has  been 
shown  by  the  praises  made  him  in  June,  1891  ;  but  a  change 
began,  and  continued  to  go  on,  in  the  Board  of  Regents  and 
in  the  Faculty,  until  January  i,  1894,  the  Regents  determined 
to  ask  him  to  resign  at  the  close  of  the  current  session.  The 
best  explanation  of  this  astounding  fact  is  perhaps  found  in  a 
statement  in  the  Louisville  Courier-Journal,  in  the  fall  of  1894, 
viz. : 

"His  orthodox  and  conservative  views  were  not  altogether  in  accord 
with  the  opinions  of  the  reorganized  Board,  and  notwithstanding  ;t 
contract  with  the  University,  Dr.  Dabney  was  asked  to  stand  aside  for 
a  man  with  more  advanced  views.  The  public  excuse  was  that  Dr. 
Dabney,  by  reason  of  his  age  and  blindness,  could  not  do  the  work." 

That  there  was  nothing  in  the  public  excuse  appears  from  the 
fact  that  the  Board  of  Regents  had  perceived  no  abatement  of 
mental  power  in  Dr.  Dabney  in  June,  1891 ;  ^-  that  the  articles 
from  his  pen  in  this  year,  1894,  show  all  his  old-time  vigor  and 
power,  and  that  his  work  in  1894  to  1895,  and  subsequent  years, 
continued  to  show  unabated  mental  powers.  His  physical 
health  was  very  much  better  in  1894  than  it  had  been  in  1890. 
He  was  blind,  indeed,  in  1894,  but  not  a  whit  more  so  than  in 
1890.  His  blindness  was  total  and  absolute  then.  It  is  reported, 
however,  that  an  occasional  sorry  student  would  sometimes 
take  advantage  of  the  Doctor's  blindness — answer  to  his  name 
at  roll-call,  and  then  slip  out  without  hearing  the  lecture.  This 
mean  trick  might  have  been  stopped  by  asking  Dr.  Dabney  to 
have  his  secretary  sit  in  the  class-room  during  lectures.  No 
other  defect  of  his  teaching,  peculiar  to  these  last  four  years, 
has  been  ascertained ;  but  the  average  politician  did  not  relish 
the  profound,  sane  and  safe  teaching  on  political  subjects  for 

"  See  Mr.  A.  P.  Wooldridge's  address,  pp.  461-464,  this  chapter. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     489 

which  he  was  so  remarkable.  Nor  was  his  profound,  common- 
sense  philosophy — the  philosophy  of  Reid  and  Hamilton  im- 
proved— popular  with  those  who  thought  no  man  could  be  a 
philosopher  who  did  not  hold  the  current  fad  of  monism. 
Some  seem  to  have  imagined  that  Dr.  Dabney  was  not  a  monist 
only  because  he  had  not  studied  the  German  monistic  systems. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  a  profound  student  of  those 
systems.  He  taught  them  for  the  very  purpose  of  their  repu- 
tation. 

Dr.  Dabney  was  very  indignant  at  this  treatment,  and  took 
pains  to  publish  his  indignation  abroad.  In  the  same  con- 
nection, he  published  various  criticisms  of  the  changes  in  the 
ideals,  methods  and  standards  employed  in  the  University  sub- 
sequent to  1 89 1. 

His  correspondence  continued  to  be  voluminous  throughout 
this  period.  This  has  been  made  clear  by  what  was  said  of  the 
way  in  which  he  had  been  consulted  on  subjects  of  general 
concern ;  but  his  correspondence  inspired  by  the  ties  of  friend- 
ship and  affection  was  also  large.  His  friendships  did  not 
wane  with  changing  circumstance,  if  circumstance  left  the 
character  of  the  friend  untouched.  Amongst  his  correspondents 
we  still  find  his  venerable  brother,  Mr.  C.  W.  Dabney,  of  Han- 
over county,  V'a.,  and  the  venerable  T.  AI.  Niven ;  and  amongst 
the  letters  to  his  brother  is  the  following: 

"Austin,  March  30,  1884. 
"Chas.  ]V.  Dabney,  Esq. 

"Dear  Brother  :    I  have  been  waiting  to  hear  of 's  death ;  but 

suppose  he  is  still  living.    My  chief  concern  for  him,  and  for  his  cousin 

,  since  there  seems  to  be  no  hope  of  his  life,  has  been,  that  gospel 

grace    might    prepare    him    for    the    happy    exchange.     And    although 

's  life  had  been,  I  suppose,  a  worldly  and  prayerless  one,  I  hope 

that  the  example  of  such  a   Christian  as  and  his  wife  may  be 

sermons  to  him,  which  will  now  bear  fruit.  People  talk  about  evan- 
gelical Christians  being  actuated  by  'fanatical  impulses,*  'led  away  by 
their  feelings,'  'shallow  and  excitable,'  etc.  But,  if  I  have  any  mind  at 
all,  my  reason  tells  me  that,  in  the  estimation  of  sober,  practical  wisdom, 
this  preparation  for  the  future  state  is  the  most  important  of  all  inter- 
ests, and  the  attainment  of  it  the  grandest  of  all  acquisitions.  Sup- 
posing, that  is,  that  we  admit,  I  will  not  say  a  certainty,  but  even  a 
probability  of  a  hereafter,  and  a  personal  God,  and  a  moral  responsi- 
bility. And  if  that  estimate  is  not  sober  good  sense,  I  must  be  an  idiot. 
And  if  it  is:  I  will  not  say  that  all  the  people  who  act  in  defiance  or 
neglect  of  truth  so  clear,  weighty  and  momentous  are  idiots,  for  their 


490        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

keen  good  sense  in  all  worldly  affairs  shows  they  are  not;  but  it  must 
shozu,  that  there  is  a  radical  and  thorough  opposition  of  disposition  be- 
tween this  obvious  duty  and  their  own  preferences.  I  have  been  reflect- 
ing over  this  thing  for  forty  years,  and  this  is  the  only  account  I  can 
find  for  their  going  (for  my  once  going)  so  obstinately  against  wisdom 
and  good  sense.  Whither  will  that  hostile  disposition  lead  a  man,  if 
permitted  to  sway  him,  as,  naturally,  it  does  sway  all?  Not  to  make 
a  deliberate  covenant  with  perdition;  for  no  man  is  willing  to  do  that; 
but  to  dally,  to  procrastinate,  to  flatter  one's  self,  until  destiny  springs 
her  trap,  and  the  man  is  caught;  caught  precisely  as  he  tliouglit  he  didn't 
intend  to  be  caught;  and  yet,  precisely  as  they  are  all  caugJit,  who  listen 
to  nature.  'Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  and  renew  a  right  spirit 
within  me !' 

"My  wife  often  says,  'Husband,  remember  we  are  old  people  now.' 
She  is  right.  I  am  sixty-four  years  old  this  month.  The  war  and  its 
consequences  have  made  me  older  in  spirit,  about  eighty-four.  We  have 
lived  since  1861  at  such  a  tremendous  rate  that  I  am  at  least  as  tiuie- 
zvorn  as  the  man  who  died  at  eighty-four  in  i860.  This  century's  ex- 
perience, compressed  into  sixty-four  years,  has  changed  many  of  my 
views  of  life,  and  confirmed  some  others.     I  think  that  the  current  and 

prevalent    (not   universal)    trait   of   the    American    mind,    now   

everywhere,  is  intellectual  dishonesty.  Men  do  not  write  and  study 
and  argue,  with  the  square,  honest  purpose  of  seeking  the  truth,  and 
when  they  find  it,  of  bowing  to  it  in  thorough  earnest,  as  the  venerable 
and  precious  attribute  of  the  Eternal ;  but  with  the  sneaking  purpose  of 
finding  a  pretext  for  the  ends  which  they  covet.  At  bottom,  they  want 
to  cheat  themselves,  and  to  cheat  you;  but  having  a  sneaking  semi- 
consciousness of  this  dishonesty,  they  are  dreadfully  afraid  of  examin- 
ing their  own  motives,  sounding  their  own  hearts.  And  this  is  the  ex- 
planation of  all  the  rush  and  stir  of  the  age.  People  are  afraid  to  be 
alone;  afraid  to  let  their  souls  stand  still  and  think,  lest  they  should 
be  made  fully  aware  they  are  living  a  lie.  Yet  I  never  believed  so 
strongly  as  I  do  now,  that  truth  is;  that  it  can  be  attained  by  honest 
seeking;  and  that  it  is  more  precious  than  rubies;  and  as  inevitably  as 
God  is  God,  is  bound  to  justify  her  true,  honest  servants  and  to  con- 
found her  sycophants  and  enemies. 

"The  longer  I  live,  the  more  I  am  sadly  convinced  of  the  quantity 
of  sham  religion  among  men.  I  have  seen  the  'great  Christian  North,' 
perpetrate  the  giant  crime  of  the  century,  and  turn  around  and  brag. 
Cases  of  loud  boasters  of  godliness  proving  themselves  scoundrels  seem 
to  multiply  faster  than  professed  conversions  multiply.  But  I  never 
was  as  strongly  convinced  in  my  life  of  the  existence  and  reality  of  true, 
gospel  grace  in  actual  Christians.  I  am  as  palpably  certain  of  it  as  I  am 
of  the  Peaks  of  Otter.  For,  when  I  see  the  principle  tested  by  trial,  it 
is  so  obviously  contrasted  with  the  average  religion  of  the  age  that  the 
genuineness  of  the  one  is  as  evident  against  the  spuriousness  of  the 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     491 

other  as  gold  is  against  pinchbeck.  In  my  mother,  in  Dr.  Sampson,  in 
General  Jackson,  in  sister  Betty,  in  Charles  Dabney,  in  niece  Betty,  not 
to  mention  others,  the  principle  must  have  been,  and  must  now  be,  true. 
I  shall  be  persuaded  that  there  is  no  difference  discernible,  when  I  come 
to  believe  that  there  is  no  difference  between  ditch  water  and  Rhine 
wine.  And  it  never  seemed  so  clear  to  me,  as  the  abounding  wickedness 
of  the  world  now  shows  it,  that  the  principle  is  of  divine  origin. 
I  see  so  much  of  human  nature  that  I  know  nature  hasn't  got  that  prin- 
ciple in  it.  I  have  a  stronger  conviction  than  ever  of  the  worthlessness 
of  many,  perhaps  most,  of  those  excitements  they  call  'revivals' ;  and  the 
more  I  learn  of  the  psychology  of  the  human  soul,  the  easier  it  is  for 
me  to  account  for  these  temporary  effects,  misnamed  conversions,  on 
natural  principles,  without  any  more  divine  power  than  enters  into  a 
stampede  of  Texan  cattle.  But,  at  the  same  time,  I  am  more  and  more 
convinced  that  the  principle  of  disinterested  duty  which  guides  Betty 
Dabney,  for  instance,  year  after  year,  in  shade  and  sunshine,  came  from 
above,  somehow;  most  likely  in  the  solemn,  honest,  continued  heart- 
searchings  of  a  retired  home,  and  in  quiet,  secret  prayer,  for  'it  cometh 
not  with  observation.'  If  there  is  such  a  thing,  /  knoiv  I  need  it;  I  know 
it  is  the  biggest  thing  in  this  universe,  and  the  best  worth  working  for, 
even  if  I  spend  a  whole  life  and  die  working  for  it. 

"There  never  was  so  much  prosperous  wickedness  as  in  this  day. 
Society  calling  itself  decent,  and  even  religious,  never  was  so  venal  and 
cowardly,  in  doing  homage  to  prosperous  wickedness.  But  I  never  felt 
so  certain  in  my  life  that  it  was  all  a  disgusting  vain  show;  and  that 
all  of  it  is  bound  to  come  to  utter  grief :  while  those  that  fear  God  and 
keep  his  commandments  will  come  out  all  right.  And  I  never  was  so 
certain,  although  I  have  been  for  so  many  years  separated  by  Provi- 
dence and  God's  grace  from  the  grosser  sins  of  youth,  that  I  cannot 
receive  this  justification  on  my  own  merits.  'For  in  me — that  is,  in  my 
flesh— there  dwelleth  no  good  thing.'  Having  not  a  single  act,  nor  a 
single  virtue  of  my  own,  that  is  complete  and  pure  enough  in  motive 
to  pass  muster  for  itself,  I  know  I  have  nothing  to  offset  a  multitude 
of  sins,  for  which  I  know  I  am  responsible.  My  justification  must  be  in 
the  merit  of  my  Surety.  And  so  my  religion  is  not,  do  right  in  order 
to  be  reconciled  to  God;  but,  be  reconciled  in  free  grace,  in  order  to 
do  right. 

"Keep  me  advised  of  John's  and  Kate's  movements.  Love  to  all,  not 
forgetting  George.    All  join  in  love. 

"Yours  affectionately,  R-  L.  D.\bney." 

He  continued  to  write  to  the  Hon.  T.  M.  Niven.  His  letters 
to  Mr.  Niven  have  not  been  recovered;  they  were  no  doubt 
rich.  Mr.  Niven  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  a  man  of 
culture,   a   Christian  of  a  noble,   high   type,   albeit   somewhat 


492        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

pessimistic^  perhaps.     His  letters  of  this  period  are  fairly  sam- 
pled by  the  following: 

"Hackensack,  N.  J.,  May  6,  1884. 

"My  Esteemed  Friend  :  I  am  not  able  to  accept  all  the  statements 
as  promulgated  in  the  Apostles'  Creed  (so  called).  At  least,  that  ex- 
pression, 'He  descended  into  hell,'  has  always  seemed  to  me  shocking 
and  without  scriptural  authority,  as  the  common  mind  and  understand- 
ing conceives  the  meaning.  But  there  is  with  me  a  hearty  acquiescence 
and  acceptance  of  'I  believe  in  the  communion  of  saints ;  the  forgiveness 
of  sins ;    the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  the  life  everlasting.     Amen.' 

"So  as,  in  the  providence  of  God,  we  are  parted  far  asunder,  as  to 
bodily  presence,  I  said  to  myself,  I  will  commune  for  a  little  with  my 
old  friend  through  the  aid  of  the  mail-bags. 

"God  is  still  sparing  me,  and  I  am  sometimes  tempted  to  ask,  What 
for?  My  days  of  activity  and  service  (poor  as  it  was)  are  past.  And 
now  I  seem  almost  in  the  way.  But  God  knows  why,  and  that  hushes 
all  cavils.  Still  I  am  only  waiting.  But  that  is  a  beautiful  thought, 
'They  also  serve  that  wait.'  Infinite  wisdom  knows  why,  and  that  is 
enough.     I  will  wait  till  my  appointed  time  comes. 

"My  health  is  much  better  than  it  was  six  months  ago,  when  I 
seemed  to  myself  and  family  as  very  near  the  river's  edge.  I  am  not 
restored  to  full  health  by  any  means,  but  I  am  relatively  in  much  better 
health.  My  nerves,  as  you  will  doubtless  observe  by  my  writing,  have 
regained  their  steadiness  in  a  measure,  but  my  poor  old  eyes  and  ears 
are  quite  derelict.  With  all  the  help  of  artificial  optics,  I  can't  clearly 
see  the  lines  on  this  paper,  and  write  very  much  by  guess.  Still,  I 
manage  to  read  a  good  deal,  for  which  I  am  thankful.  I  do  not  feel 
as  deep  an  interest  in  sublunary  things  as  formerlJ^  To  me  they  seem 
like  dissolving  views,  and  indeed  to  me  the  prospect  is  not  pleasant. 
The  church  seems  more  and  more  debauched,  and  the  tendencies  are, 
to  my  dim  eyes,  in  the  wrong  direction.  The  world  seems  to  have  cap- 
tured her,  and  she  is  in  bondage.  'The  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lusts 
of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life.'  which  are  not  of  the  Father,  seem 
to  have  possession.  I  know  that  God  will  take  care  of  his  own  cause, 
essentially  and  finally,  and  he  has  permitted  declensions  and  apostasies 
in  the  past  over  and  over  again  under  both  dispensations.  And  is  it 
not  so  now?  The  church  is  catering  to  the  world,  and  the  world  is 
very  patronizing  to  the  church.  Alas !  alas !  The  offence  of  the  cross 
has  ceased.  Albeit,  it  is  a  fashionable  emblem  on  church  steeples  and 
on  ladies'  necks.  But  it  is  a  sham  cross.  The  crucifixion  of  the  flesh, 
with  its  affections  and  lusts,  is  quite  another  matter,  and  is  reckoned 
puritanical  nonsense.  And  as  to  the  State!  Why,  corruption,  venality 
and  quackery  seem  lords  paramount,  and  it  must  be  that  we  are  very 
near  the  inevitable  precipice  and  overthrow.  And  then,  what  next? 
God  is  holy,  just  as  well  as  good,  and  the  doom  of  the  old  world  and 
the  cities  of  the  plain  should  be  a  warning,  but  it  is  not. 


In  Connection  with  the  University  of  Texas.     493 

And,  now,  I  hope  you  and  your  good  wife  and  all  are  well.  I  com- 
mend you  all  to  our  covenant  God  in  Christ. 

"As  ever  yours,  in  the  best  of  bonds,  T.  M.  Niven. 

"P.  S. — Drop  me  a  letter  when  you  can." 

Dr.  Dabney  not  only  kept  up  a  frequent  correspondence  with 
some,  he  corresponded  more  or  less  with  a  great  number.  Dr. 
Dabney,  as  the  reader  knows,  had  been  a  man  interested  in 
every  department  of  human  inquiry.  He  was,  in  his  earlier  life, 
famous  for  his  love  of  geography,  topography,  and  the  natural 
history  of  every  section  of  the  earth's  surface  that  he  had  the 
opportunity  to  behold  with  his  own  eyes,  or  through  the  e}'es 
of  others.  He  loved  equally  astronomy,  and  all  the  practical 
sciences,  and  the  abstract  sciences.  His  mind  had  taken  such  a 
comprehensive  and  sure  hold  of  the  main  elements  of  the  de- 
partments to  which  he  was  not  supposed  to  be  devoted  that  the 
specialists  who  had  heard  of  something  new  in  their  own 
spheres  were  sure  of  intelligent  and  comprehending  listening, 
and  frequent  remark  on  telling  him  of  it.  They  knew  he  would 
be  greatly  obliged  to  them,  too,  for  the  impartation  of  any  fact 
or  truth  of  interest  to  them.  Especially  was  he  interested  in 
everything  human  which  bore  on  the  moral  and  spiritual  wel- 
fare of  individuals  or  communities,  civil  or  religious.  This 
lively  interest  he  carried  through  these  years  at  the  University 
unabated.  He  was  a  genuine  lover  of  kindly  gossip.  He  wished 
to  know  what  was  being  done  in  every  public  gathering  in  his 
city.  A  young  man  who  lived  with  him  on  terms  of  unusual 
intimacy  was  soon  made  aware  that  he  could  not  attend  a  poli- 
tical meeting,  nor  a  meeting  of  the  Salvation  Army  people,  nor 
a  lecture  on  an  educational  topic,  nor  any  sort  of  gathering, 
without  being  kindly  quizzed  until  he  should  reproduce  every 
essential  feature  of  what  had  been  said  or  done.  Some  old  men 
lose  interest  in  contemporary  events ;  Dr.  Dabney  never  seemed 
in  these  years  even  to  slacken  interest.  He  was  a  delightful 
companion  to  a  wide-awake,  curious,  and  growing  young  man. 
He  sought  from  young  men  their  youthful  views,  to  inform 
himself,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  enable  him  to  broaden,  deepen 
or  rectify  their  thought  on  what  they  had  seen.  The  kind  of 
use  he  would  make  of  a  yoimg  man's  eyes  is  well  illustrated  in 
a  letter  from  his  youngest  son,  Lewis  M.  Dabney,  Esq.,  dated 
August  6,  1887.  This  young  gentleman  had  been  up  in  the 
Pan  Handle  of  Texas,  travelled  through  the  counties  of  Will- 


494        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

barger,  Hardeman,  Childress  and  Donley.  He  describes  the 
quality  of  the  soil,  the  water  supply,  the  products,  the  railway 
connection  with  the  outside  world,  the  character  of  the  people 
by  whom  the  country  had  been  partly  settled,  and  the  openings 
for  men  of  vigor  and  clearness  of  head,  the  condition  of  the 
crops,  etc.,  etc.  The  letter  is  addressed  to  his  mother,  intended 
for  both,  and  contains  the  promise,  "When  I  see  you  all  again, 
I  'will  have  a  great  deal  to  tell  Pa  about  that  country."  We 
may  safely  take  for  granted  that  when  they  met  again,  "Pa" 
asked  him  "about  that  country,"  and  on  a  great  many  other 
points  on  which  Lewis  touched  in  this  letter  of  about  two 
thousand  words,  devoted  now  to  a  sketching  of  the  country  he 
had  just  visited,  and  later  to  a  rattling,  half-cynical,  wholly 
good-humored  criticism  of  the  doings  of  a  certain  ephemeral 
political  party  in  Texas. 

In  1894,  when  his  connection  with  the  University  was  broken. 
Dr.  Dabney  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  sons  were 
not  only  well  established  and  successful  in  their  professions, 
but  already  prominent.  Dr.  Charles  William  Dabney  being  the 
eminently  successful  President  of  the  University  of  Tennessee, 
Mr.  Samuel  Brown  Dabney  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  large  law 
practice  in  Victoria,  Texas,  and  Mr.  Lewis  Meriweather  Dab- 
ney holding  already  a  position  of  great  promise  in  Dallas, 
Texas.  He  went  out  toward  these  sons,  and  the  two  grand- 
children then  born  to  him,  with  great  affection.  He  wrote,  on 
December  6,  1889,  to  Mrs.  C.  W.  Dabney: 

"I  think  a  great  deal  about  my  two  little  grandchildren,  and  most 
of  all  about  the  interest  of  their  own  immortal  souls.  Marguerite  has 
now  reached  an  age  when  she  will  be  susceptible  of  religious  im- 
pressions. Bless  her,  we  ought  to  take  for  granted  the  existence  of 
reason  and  conscience  in  little  children,  and  appeal  to  them  with  some 
confidence.  Now  is  the  time  especially  to  store  her  quick  and  retentive 
memory  with  the  Bible  history  and  the  truths  of  redemption.  I  would 
give  much  to  have  her  with  me,  as  I  could  teach  her  anything,  and 
amuse  and  instruct  her.  Oh !  how  I  wish  I  had  her  to  walk  or  ride 
with  us.  Now,  she  would  be  well  taken  care  of  here  and  have  good 
health.  I  have  seen  very  little  of  her  since  she  has  been  old  enough  to 
reason  and  talk." 

He  was  devoted  also  to  the  mother  of  these  children. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

LAST  STROKES  OF  HIS  LIFE'S  WORK. 
(June,  1894 — January,  1898.) 

The  Summer  of  1894. — The  Lectures  in  Louisville  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  Autumn  of  1894. — The  Rest  at  Victoria. — The 
Last  Teaching  in  the  Austin  School  of  Theology. — His  Con- 
tinued Interest  in  the  Re-establishment  of  the  School. — His 
Large  Views  as  to  the  Need  of  More  Presbyterian  Education 
IN  Texas. — Letter  from  his  Old  Students  in  the  Dallas  As- 
sembly, AND  HIS  Reply  thereto. — The  Summer  of  1895. — Remi- 
niscent Moods. — Letter  from  the  Synod  of  Texas  of  1895,  and 
HIS  Answer. — The  Autumn,  Winter  and  Spring  of  1895-96. — 
The  Summer  of  1896. — The  Winter  of  i896-'97. — In  the  Assem- 
bly at  Charlotte  in  1897. — Summering  in  North  Carolina. — 
Lectures  in  Davidson  College  and  at  Columbia  Seminary  in 
Autumn  of  1897. — Again,  in  Victoria,  December,  1897-jANUARY, 
1898. — Writings  During  this  Period. — Letter  to  his  Children, 
TO  BE  Read  after  his  Death. 

DR.  and  Mrs.  Dabney  spent  a  part  of  the  summer  of  1894 
in  Northwest  Arkansas,  in  part  to  escape  the  burning 
summer  heats  of  Middle  Texas,  and  in  part  out  of  desire  to 
build  up  by  the  use  of  the  pure  water  to  be  had  in  that  region. 
During  that  summer  he  seems  to  have  been  rather  unusually 
unwell.  He  wrote  but  little.  However,  we  find  in  the  Texas 
Presbyterian,  July  13,  1894,  an  article  entitled  "Incurable  Mis- 
conceptions," bearing  his  mental  marks.  In  it  he  opposes 
organic  union  with  the  Northern  Presbyterians,  on  the  ground 
that  the  Northern  people  cannot  understand  our  character,  our 
society,  our  negro  population,  our  wants,  and  our  interests.  He 
finds  the  proofs  scattered  thick  over  history,  and  recites  them. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  the  "Faculty  and  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Louisville  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary 
urged  upon  Dr.  Dabney  to  come  to  Louisville  and  deliver  a 
course  of  lectures,  eighteen  in  number,  covering  a  period  of 
six  weeks,  and  embracing  such  portions  of  philosophy  as  have 
a  special  bearing  on  Christian  theology.  The  points  selected 
were,  the  principles  of  rational,  intuitional  psychology,  and  the 


496        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

nature  and  judgments  of  conscience,  and  the  errors  of  meta- 
physical skepticism."  ^ 

The  Rev.  T.  D.  Witherspoon,  a  most  competent  critic,  gave 
the  following  account  of  this  course  of  lectures  in  the  Central 
Presbyterian  of  January  16,  1895: 

"In  the  very  inauguration  of  the  work  In  connection  with  the  pro- 
posed Seminary  in  Louisville,  one  of  the  plans  was  to  secure  a  brief 
course  of  lectures  from  Dr.  Dabney,  similar  to  the  ones  he  has  just 
delivered.  Correspondence  was  had  with  him,  but  his  engagements  were 
such  that  he  did  not  feel  that  he  could  at  that  time  accede  to  our  request. 
As  soon  as  we  learned  that  his  connection  with  the  University  of  Texas 
had  terminated,  we  made  haste  to  renew  our  invitation,  and  were 
gratified  in  securing  his  promise  to  deliver  a  course  of  eighteen  lectures, 
beginning  with  the  first  of  November,  and  embracing  three  a  week  for 
six  weeks  upon  the  Rational  Philosophy  in  its  relations  to  Theology 
and  upon  Christian  Ethics. 

"The  hour  for  these  lectures  was  so  fixed  that  no  other  Seminary 
duty  conflicted,  and  thus  Faculty  and  students  all  had  the  privilege  of 
sitting  three  times  a  week,  for  six  weeks,  at  the  feet  of  this  prince  of 
teachers.  The  impressions  of  his  visit  and  his  teaching  will  never  be 
effaced.  His  very  presence  amongst  us  has  been  an  inspiration.  Since 
the  death  of  Dr.  McGuffey,  he  has  been  recognized  as  the  foremost 
thinker  and  teacher  of  our  church  in  the  domain  of  intellectual  and 
moral  science.  There  is  probably  no  living  teacher  who  has  greater 
power  of  impressing  his  own  individuality  and  personality  upon  his 
students,  or  of  projecting  his  thoughts  into  their  minds  and  hearts  with 
that  resistless  force  which  is  born  of  intense  conviction  and  is  suffused 
with  the  glow  of  a  genuine  fervor  and  enthusiasm. 

"The  course  which  had  been  mapped  out  for  him  was  thorough 
enough  and  difficult  enough  to  test  his  full  powers,  embracing  a  rapid 
and  searching  review  of  the  various  false  systems  of  modern  philosophy, 
Sensualistic,  Idealistic  and  Skeptical,  with  an  exposition  and  defence  of 
the  rational  or  true  philosophy;  also,  an  equally  searching  criticism  of 
the  various  ethical  schools,  the  Selfish,  the  Utilitarian,  the  Hedonistic, 
etc. 

"Any  one  familiar  with  this  course  knows  what  demands  it  makes 
for  powers  of  closest  analysis,  sharpest  discrimination,  most  intense 
concentration  of  thought,  and  most  prolific  resources  of  illustration. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  say  in  which  of  these  Dr.  Dabney  most  excelled. 
With  the  steady  step  of  one  familiar  with  the  ground,  and  with  the  calm, 
self-possessed  spirit  of  one  conscious  of  his  ability  to  meet  and  refute 
every  opposing  error,  he  made  his  way  through  all  the  intricacies  of  the 

^  Quoted  from  an  unsigned  article  in  the  Louisville  Courier  Journal, 
December,  1894. 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  497 

various  systems  of  philosophy,  exposing  the  ignorance  and  superficiality 
of  the  systems  he  condemned,  subjecting  their  false  principles  at  one 
moment  to  indignant  denunciation,  at  another  to  withering  sarcasm, 
and  at  another  to  the  torture  of  some  humorous  illustration  that  con- 
vulsed his  audience  with  laughter.  His  old  students  would  have  found 
little  evidence,  except  in  his  white  hairs,  of  the  changes  time  has 
wrought  upon  him.  There  was  no  hesitation  of  speech,  no  confusion 
of  thought,  no  inaccuracy  of  method,  to  suggest  any  decline  of  mental 
power.  It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  record  that  as  a  teacher  his  natural 
strength  is  not  abated. 

"The  practical  results  of  the  course  have  been  in  every  way  satisfac- 
tory. More  than  twenty  of  the  students  have  passed  a  thorough  and 
rigid  examination  upon  the  course,  the  examination  papers  having  been 
written  by  Dr.  Dabney  and  the  examination  conducted  by  the  Faculty. 
Besides  these  young  men,  fully  as  many  more  attended  closely  every 
lecture,  and  derived  full  benefit  from  them,  although  they  did  not  submit 
to  the  final  examination.  As  this  course  of  lectures  lies  along  the  same 
lines,  to  some  extent,  with  the  treatise  on  the  Practical  Philosophy  which 
Dr.  Dabney  is  soon  to  publish,  those  of  us  Vv'ho  had  the  privilege  of 
attending  his  lectures  will  look  forward  with  all  the  more  intensity  of 
desire  to  the  publication  of  the  forthcoming  volume,  as  one  calculated  to 
render  most  important  and  needed  service  in  instructing  our  young 
people  in  the  cardinal  principles  of  sound  ethics  and  conservative 
philosophy.  May  the  Doctor's  life  be  spared  to  give  to  the  church 
many  more  fruits  of  ripe  scholarship  and  consecrated  learning." 

While  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dabney  were  in  Louisville,  they  were 
generously  entertained  by  many  of  their  old  friends  and  ad- 
mirers. He  richly  repaid  their  hospitalities  by  high  converse. 
At  the  solicitation  of  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Lyons.  D.  D.,  he,  while 
there,  repeated  in  the  presence  of  a  stenographer,  who  prepared 
a  type-written  copy  of  it,  the  following  story : 

"In  the  year  1883,  I  moved  to  Texas.  After  a  time,  I  there  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  ex-Governor  Stcckdale,  of  Texas,  an  eminent 
lawyer,  and  an  old  citizen,  and  a  personal  friend  of  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee 
before  the  war  between  the  States,  when  he  was  Col.  R.  E.  Lee,  com- 
manding a  regiment  of  dragoons  guarding  the  Texas  frontier  against 
the  Comanches. 

"In  the  latter  months  of  his  life,  and  only  a  short  while  before  his 
death.  Governor  Stockdale  (who  was,  by  the  way,  a  native  of  Southern 
Kentucky)  gave  me  the  following  narrative: 

"He  was  at  the  White  Sulphur  Springs,  Virginia,  in  the  summer 
of  1870,  in  the  autumn  of  which  year  General  Lee  died.  Here  the  two 
old  friends  met  for  the  last  time. 

22 


498        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"General  Rosecrans,  of  the  Northern  army,  was  at  the  Springs, 
showing  much  attention  to  his  former  adversaries,  and  acting  the  mag- 
nanimous conqueror.  He  had  been  a  war  Democrat,  and  now  a  member 
of  the  Federal  Congress,  was  acting  again  with  the  Northern  Demo- 
cratic party. 

''There  was  quite  a  galaxy  of  distinguished  ex-Confederates  at  the 
Springs  also — lieutenant-generals,  major-generals,  senators,  etc. 

"One  day  Rosecrans  approached  General  Lee,  so :  he  said  that  every- 
body in  the  North  knew  General  Lee  was  a  representative  Southerner, 
and  everybody  had  perfect  confidence  in  his  truthfulness ;  and  if  he 
(Rosecrans)  could  be  authorized  by  General  Lee  to  say,  on  behalf  of 
the  Southern  people,  that  they  were  now  glad  to  be  back  in  the  Union, 
and  loyal  to  the  old  f^ag,  that  that  statement  would  do  a  great  deal  of 
good  in  Congress;  that  he  (Rosecrans)  could  use  it  to  assuage  the 
bitterness  of  feeling  among  the  coercion  leaders,  and  make  the  Federal 
Government  much  more  lenient  towards  the  conquered  States. 

"With  his  usual  polite  caution.  General  Lee  replied  that  he  did  not 
think  he  had  the  right  to  speak  for  the  Southern  people;  that  he  now 
held  no  office  by  their  gift,  except  the  very  humble  one  of  a  teacher 
of  youth;  that  he  had  not  even  the  right  of  citizenship,  and  hence  did 
not  think  he  had  a  right  to  speak  for  the  Southern  people.  But  Rose- 
crans was  quite  urgent ;  thereupon,  General  Lee  said  that  many  dis- 
tinguished ex-Confederates  were  now  at  the  Springs,  from  various  parts 
of  the  Southern  States,  and  from  these  General  Rosecrans  could  learn 
their  impressions  of  Southern  feelings  and  purposes. 

"Rosecrans  caught  at  this,  saying  that  he  was  not  acquainted  with 
most  of  these  gentlemen,  and  he  wished  General  Lee  to  bring  him 
acquainted  with  them,  in  order  that  he  might  get  their  views.  General 
Lee  consented  to  invite  a  number  of  them  to  meet  General  Rosecrans 
at  his  parlor,  on  Paradise  Row.  Consequently,  the  next  morning  a 
species  of  small  levee  was  convened  there  by  General  Lee's  invitation, 
and  among  them  was  ex-Governor  Stockdale,  of  Texas. 

"General  Lee  was  very  silent  and  very  polite,  greeting  everybody 
with  scrupulous  courtesy  and  seeing  them  well-seated.  He  himself  took 
the  last  seat  in  a  plain  chair  by  the  open  door. 

"Rosecrans  then  began  his  catechism,  asking  each  ex-Confederate 
the  same  questions  he  wished  General  Lee  to  answer. 

"Governor  Stockdale  said  to  me  that  many  of  the  replies  struck  him 
as  entirely  too  sycophantic  and  insincere,  and  he  surmised  from  Gen- 
eral Lee's  countenance  that  the  old  soldier  felt  the  same  way  about 
them. 

"Governor  Stockdale  related  the  story  thus:  Doctor,  I  was  perhaps 
the  smallest  man  of  the  assemblage,  both  in  personal  stature  and  in 
political  importance,  being  only  an  ex-Governor,  and  I  had  fallen  into 
the  corner  down  at  the  end  of  the  row  of  distinguished  Confederates, 
so  the  question  came  to  me  last. 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.         '       499 

"Rosecrans  said,  in  substance,  'Now,  Governor  Stockdale,  let  us  hear 
how  your  gallant  Texans  feel  toward  the  old  government  and  the  old 
flag?' 

"I  replied:  'General  Rosecrans,  since  that  day  in  June,  1865,  when 
General  Merritt  with  his  soldiers  drove  me  from  the  Government  House, 
I  have  held  no  office  in  Texas,  and  have  not  been  authorized  by  the 
people  of  Texas  to  represent  them  in  anything;  but  I  know  them  well, 
and  I  am  sure  that  you  may  say  this :  the  people  of  Texas  will  remain 
quiet,  and  not  again  resort  to  forceful  resistance  against  the  Federal 
Government,  whatever  may  be  the  measures  of  that  government.' 

"General  Rosecrans  replied  very  unctuously,  'Ah !  that  is  good  news 
from  our  gallant  Texas,'  etc. 

"Said  Stockdale,  I  stopped  him  and  said:  'But,  General  Rosecrans, 
candor  requires  me  to  explain  the  attitude  of  my  people.  The  people 
of  Texas  have  made  up  their  minds  to  remain  quiet  under  all  aggres- 
sions and  to  have  peace;  but  they  have  none  of  the  spaniel  in  their 
composition.  No,  sir,  they  are  not  in  the  least  like  the  dog  that  seeks 
to  lick  the  hand  of  the  man  that  kicked  him ;  but  it  is  because  they  are 
a  very  sensible,  practical,  common-sense  people,  and  understand  their 
position.  They  know  that  they  resisted  the  Federal  Government  as  long 
as  any  means  of  resistance  was  left,  and  that  any  attempt  at  resistance 
now  must  be  in  vain ;  and  they  have  no  means,  and  would  only  make 
bad  worse.  This  is  the  view  of  the  matter  which  is  going  to  keep 
Texas  quiet." 

"At  this  stage  of  the  conference,  General  Lee  rose  from  his  chair; 
Rosecrans  took  the  hint.  He  filed  out,  and  the  big  Confederates,  one 
behind  the  other,  after  him. 

"Said  Stockdale,  I,  being  the  little  man  in  the  farther  corner,  was 
the  last  to  approach  the  door.  General  Lee  had  given  a  very  polite 
good-morning  to  each  man  as  he  passed  out;  as  I  said  to  him,  'good- 
morning,'  he  gently  closed  the  door  before  me,  keeping  the  door-knob 
in  his  left  hand,  and  said  to  me,  as  follows : 

"  'Governor  Stockdale,  before  you  leave,  I  wish  to  give  you  my 
thanks  for  brave,  true  words.  You  know.  Governor,  what  my  position 
is.  Those  people  (his  uniform  term  for  the  Yankees)  choose,  for  what 
reason  I  know  not,  to  hold  me  as  a  representative  Southerner ;  hence, 
I  know  they  watch  my  words,  and  if  I  should  speak  unadvisedly,  what 
I  say  would  be  caught  up  by  their  speakers  and  newspapers,  and  mag- 
nified into  a  pretext  for  adding  to  the  load  of  oppression  they  have 
placed  upon  our  poor  people;  and  God  knows.  Governor,  that  load  is 
heavy  enough  now ;  but  you  can  speak,  for  you  are  not  under  that 
restraint,  and  I  want  to  thank  you  for  your  bold,  candid  words.' 

"Again,  said  Governor  Stockdale,  I  thought  he  would  dismiss  me; 
but  he  still  held  the  door  closed,  and  after  a  time  he  resumed  and 
uttered  these  words :  'Governor,  if  I  had  foreseen  the  use  those  people 
designed  to  make  of  their  victory,  there  would  have  been  no  surrender 


500        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabnev.    . 

at  Appomattox  Courthouse ;  no,  sir,  not  by  me.'  Then,  with  rising 
color,  throwing  back  his  head  like  an  old  war-horse,  he  added  these 
words,  'Had  I  foreseen  these  results  of  subjugation,  I  would  have  pre- 
ferred to  die  at  Appomattox  with  my  brave  men,  my  sword  in  this 
right  hand.'  He  then  dropped  his  head,  and,  with  a  sad  look,  added : 
'This,  of  course,  is  for  your  ear  only.  My  friend,  good-morning;'  and 
with  that  he  opened  the  door  and  I  took  my  leave. 

"I  said  to  Governor  Stockdale,  'Sir,  this  narrative  is  of  the  greatest 
historical  importance;  don't  you  think  so?'  He  replied,  yes,  he  thought 
so,  and  had  been  advised  by  several  friends  to  give  it  permanent  his- 
torical form.  I  added  my  request  that  he  would  do  so.  Governor 
Stockdale  replied  that  he  was  now  an  old  man,  an  infirm  man,  with 
failing  eyesight,  heavily  laden  with  the  burdens  of  old  age  and  infirmity, 
and  supposed  that  he  would  never  do  anything  more  about  it;  but  that 
lie  had  given  some  facts  to  several  old  friends  and  intimates  in  DeWitt 
■county,  Texas,  where  he  resided. 

"  'I  said  to  him :  'Governor,  these  are  the  reasons  why  I  regard 
these  incidents  as  of  even  grand  historical  importance.  General  Lee 
was  no  original  secessionist ;  he  was  no  politician ;  he  was  personally 
a  man  of  great  moderation  and  wisdom.  In  the  months  immediately 
following  the  war,  he  had  struggled  very  hard  to  reconcile  himself  and 
"his  fellow-citizens  to  their  defeat.  He  was  also  an  eminent  Christian; 
and  in  August,  1870,  he  well  knew  that  he  was  a  dying  man,  for  his 
intimate  friends  were  aware  that  he  understood  the  symptoms  of  his 
decaying  health,  and  knew  that  death  was  not  far  oflf.  But  now,  after 
five  years'  experience  of  subjugation  and  reconstruction,  this  great 
martyr,  this  wise,  grand  old  man,  looking  eternity  in  the  face,  forms 
this  deliberate  estimate  of  the  illegalitj-,  the  perjury  and  cruelty,  the  mis- 
chievousness  of  the  reconstruction  measures ;  that  had  he  foreknown 
clearly  that  the  results  of  submission  would  be  such,  he  would  have 
preferred  to  die  with  his  face  to  the  foe.  Impartial  history  will  surely 
form  the  same  estimate  concerning  this  conclusion  of  the  unconstitu- 
.tional  war  of  coercion  and  of  the  subjugation  of  the  Southern  States  by 
•.other  States,  pretending  to  be  their  equals.'  " 

Having  completed  his  course  of  lectures  in  Louisville.  Dr. 
with  Mrs.  Dabney,  proceeded  to  Victoria,  Texas,  for  a  short 
rest,  in  the  home  of  their  son,  Mr.  Samuel  B.  Dabney.  who  had 
married,  and  possessed  a  handsome  and  commodious  resi- 
dence. The  damp,  raw  air  of  the  Ohio  Valley  was  about  to 
bring  on  an  attack  of  the  bronchial  trouble,  which  had  been  the 
chief  occasion  of  his  leaving  \'irginia  eleven  years  before.  The 
winter  climate  of  Mctoria  is  very  fine,  soft  and  balmy,  while 
not  enervating.  There,  in  the  home  of  his  excellent  and  affec- 
tionatelv  devoted  son  and  his  amiable  and  beautiful  wife,  the 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  501 

father  sought  and  found  the  brief  rest  which  he  supposed  would 
suffice  to  put  his  throat  in  good  condition. 

His  restless  energy  of  nature  would  not  allow  him  to  rest 
long.  On  the  30th  of  December,  1894,  he  and  Mrs.  Dabney 
returned  to  Austih.  and  reestablished  themselves  in  their  cot- 
tage, that  he  might  take  up  his  work  in  the  Theological  School. 
They  came  back  to  Austin  in  the  face  of  a  "Norther."  He 
renewed  his  cold.  It  now  took  the  form  of  grippe,  and,  as  is 
usually  the  case,  found  the  subject's  weakest  part.  Again  he 
was  brought  to  the  brink  of  the  grave,  suffering,  from  time  to 
time,  great  pain,  and  was  only  "rescued  from  a  painful  death 
by  surgical  means  little  less  miserable."    He  said  of  this  illness : 

"Perhaps  the  most  wretched  part  of  this  four  months'  experience 
was  the  nervous  malaise,  caused  by  my  determined  disuse  of  morphia. 
For  twelve  weeks  it  had  been  morphia  daily  or  unbearable  pain.  The 
opium  habit  was  fully  set  in  me.  I  determined  to  break  it ;  for  I  would 
rather  be  dead  at  once  than  live  a  wretched  morphia  drunkard.  When 
I  look  back  now  to  the  nervous  spasms  and  the  insomnia  of  those  weeks 
they  make  me  shiver." 

The  number  of  theological  students  attending  the  Austin 
Theological  School  was  now  very  small.  Central  Texas  Pres- 
bytery did  not  see  how,  under  the  current  circumstances,  it  was 
to  carry  the  work  further.  It  had  no  disposition  to  try  to  do  it. 
The  Synod  wished  to  have  a  Theological  School ;  but  it  had 
not  come  to  be  a  unit  on  the  place  where,  nor  as  to  its  ability 
to  maintain  such  a  school.  Dr.  Dabney  was  vastly  distressed 
with  what,  to  him,  seemed  blindness  to  their  need  and  abilities, 
on  the  part  of  Texas  Presbyterians,  and  their  slowness ;  but  he 
was  ready  to  make  every  sacrifice  of  himself,  having  a  huge, 
irrepressible  desire  to  see  that  school  pushed.  He  writes  all 
this  out  in  letters  like  this : 

"Austin,  May  15,  1895. 
"Rev.  S.  B.  Campbell,  D.  D. 

"Dear  Brother:  I  need  your  counsel,  as  chairman  of  the  Synod's 
committee,  upon  the  destinies  of  the   School  of  Theology. 

"You  have  heard  of  the  decision  and  final  withdrawal  of  Dr.  Smoot 
and  Mr.  Tidball.  Tidball  was  literally  starved  out  by  the  failure  of  the 
Presbytery  to  fulfil  its  pledges.  The  school  is  thus  left  resting  for 
professional  support  upon  me  alone,  a  bruised  if  not  a  broken  reed. 
This  puts  its  existence  in  extreme  peril,  unless  something  wise  and 
prompt  is  done.  Your  committee,  instead  of  sitting  in  council  about  the 
prosperity  of  a  living  institution,  will  have  to  hold  a  coroner's  inquest 


502        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

over  a  dead  one.  The  question  on  which  I  wish  to  be  advised  is  this : 
should  I  also  resign?  I  am  more  than  ready  to  do  so;  and  shall  cer- 
tainly not  obtrude  myself  as  a  theological  teacher. 

"There  is  a  point  of  personal  interest  to  me  which  becomes  pressing ; 
if  there  is  no  longer  anything  for  me  to  do  in  Austin,  my  strong  inclina- 
tion and  interest  urge  me  to  leave  it  and  live  with  one  of  my  children. 
The  continued  apathy  of  our  Presbytery,  and  the  procrastination  of  the 
Synod,  concerning  the  future  of  the  School  of  Theology,  must  prompt 
me  at  last  to  decide  this  question  for  myself:  and  my  decision,  of 
course,  must  be  to  get  out  from  the  place  where  I  seem  not  to  be 
wanted,  and  go  to  consult  my  own  convenience.  I  am  too  old  for 
dallying. 

"I  feel  sure  that  the  existing  Trustees  will  always  be  found  willing 
to  transfer  the  School  to  the  Synod,  with  its  whole  property,  and  unin- 
cumbered by  any  faculty,  when  the  Synod  wants  it.  Our  judgment  is 
still  the  same,  that  Austin  will  still  be,  in  the  long  run,  the  best  place 
for  the  permanent  home  of  the  School.  But  if  the  Synod  will  take  it, 
not  to  choke  it,  but  to  nurse  it  generously,  we  are  all  cordially  ready 
to  yield  our  judgment  about  the  location  to  the  better  judgment  of  the 
Synod.  True,  the  old  charter  said  Austin,  but  all  charters  are  open 
to  amendment,  and  no  obstacle  will  be  offered  here  even  to  this 
amendment,  if  the  School  is  taken  in  good  faith.  We  have  a  nice  little 
property,  worth  some  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  a  precious 
nucleus  of  a  library  of  twelve  hundred  choice  volumes,  and  an  invested 
endowment  of  four  thousand  one  hundred  dollars.  All  this  the  donors 
entrusted  to  us  for  the  specific  purpose  of  Presbyterian  theological 
education  in  Texas.  We  are  bound  in  honor  and  honesty  to  see  that 
these  gifts  are  not  perverted.  To  this  extent  only  it  is  our  duty  to  be 
stiff :    on  every  other  point  we  are  ready  for  modification. 

"Let  us  suppose  that  henceforth  measures  for  the  life  of  the  School 
shall  proceed  as  briskly  as  possible,  viz. :  that  the  Synod  shall  come  to 
know  its  own  mind,  at  its  very  next  meeting,  and  that  mind  shall  be 
to  move  the  School,  and  that  the  preparation  for  this  be  begun  at  once 
and  pushed.  Still,  there  must  be  an  interval  of  a  year  or  two  before 
its  new  habitation  and  teachers  are  made  ready  for  the  School.  Now, 
the  burning  question  is,  Shall  it  be  during  that  interval  in  a  state  of 
suspended  animation?  Is  there  not  extreme  danger  that  this  will  turn 
out  to  be  a  state  of  death?  Is  it  not  far  better  that  it  be  kept  alive 
where  it  is  as  a  nucleus :  a  living  plant,  if  a  small  one,  ready  for  suc- 
cessful transplanting  and  a  prosperous  after-growth?  This  burning 
question  needs  to  be  decided  immediately,  and  the  necessary  steps 
pressed.  The  time  is  short;  candidates  are  already  choosing  their  places 
of  study;  in  a  few  weeks  all  will  have  chosen  under  the  belief  that 
Austin  is  to  be  no  place  at  all. 

"May  I  request  you  to  communicate  these  views  to  your  committee? 

"Our  School  has  received  scarcely  anything  from  Texas ;  the  little 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  503 

which  it  has  came  almost  wholly  from  other  Synods,  mainly  through 
my  agency.  At  the  approaching  end  of  this  term  (possibly  its  last), 
it  will  have  given  to  the  Synods  twenty-seven  licentiates.  Meantime, 
during  the  twelve  years  I  have  been  in  the  State,  only  three  of  your 
own  candidates,  as  far  as  I  now  remember,  whom  you  allowed  to  go 
to  Seminaries  across  the  rim,  have  returned  to  labor  for  your  Synod. 
"Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  D.\bney." 

For  convenience,  it  may  be  remarked,  in  this  connection,  that 
his  eager  desire  for  a  well-estabHshed  school  of  theology  in 
Texas,  and  preferably  in  Austin,  never  abated.  He  writes  to 
Dr.  Campbell,  chairman  of  the  Synod's  Committee  of  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  on  the  30th  of  December,  1895,  urging  the 
putting  of  a  suitable  man,  to  raise  the  necessary  endowment,  in 
the  field  at  once,  meeting  every  supposed  objection  to  such  a 
course.  What  he  wished  to  see  was  a  seminary  sufficiently 
endowed  to  maintain  four  able  professors.  He  was  no  advocate 
of  over-subdivision  of  the  curriculum  of  a  seminary,  and  the 
presence  of  many  teachers.     He  remarks  in  this  letter : 

"Dr.  Mallard  will  print  in  the  Southzvestern  Presbyterian  two  articles 
from  me  on  the  general  seminary  policy  of  our  church,  and  opposing 
centralization.  Dr.  Palmer  will  support  me.  I  suppose  young  America 
will  cry  that  we  are  'two  old  fogies.'  Well,  we  are  advanced  in  our 
seventies.  Forty  years  hence  the  church  will  be  able  to  say,  perhaps 
in  deep  sorrow,  which  were  the  wisest,  the  conclusions  of  the  'old  fogies' 
or  the  'j'oung  fogies.' " 

Against  those  who  were  afraid  that  the  effort  to  raise  money 
for  a  Texas  Theological  School  would  be  followed  by  cessation 
of  the  growth  of  the  endowment  of  the  Austin  College,  at 
Sherman,  he  wrote : 

"There  is  plenty  of  wealth  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Texas  to 
push  both  enterprises  successfully.  What  our  people  need  is  to  be 
taught  how  'to  devise  liberal  things;  and  by  liberal  things  they  shall 
stand.'  Nothing  would  so  surely  open  the  purses  of  able  friends  of  the 
College  as  the  example  of  large  gifts  from  others  to  the  new  Seminary. 
I  once  heard  Dr.  William  S.  White  reply  thus  to  a  minister  who  was 
complaining  of  too  frequent  calls  on  his  people  for  contributions:  'All 
these  good  country  ladies  know  that  if  they  wish  a  cow  to  give  a  large 
bucket  of  milk,  she  must  be  milked  frequently  and  regularly.  Without 
that,  she  gives  less  and  less,  and,  after  awhile,  dries  up.  Our  con- 
gregations are  like  cows,  drying  up  for  want  of  good  milking  and  good 
feeding.' " " 

^Letter  to  Dr.  S.  B.  Campbell,  dated  March  8.  1897. 


504        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

He  argues  that  they  ought  to  have  a  seminary,  even  though 
it  be  impossible  for  the  present  to  endow  it  adequately ;  that 
such  an  institution  would  be  a  plant  set  out  in  good  soil,  and 
bound  to  grow,  and  that  from  the  start  its  students  would  labor, 
for  the  most  part,  in  Texas,  whereas,  many,  or  most,  of  the 
Texas  students,  trained  in  trans-Mississippi  institutions,  tended 
to  settle  in  the  older  States.^ 

Dr.  Dabney  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Assembly  of  1895, 
which  sat  in  Dallas.  On  account  of  sickness,  he  could  not 
attend. 

His  former  students  of  Union  and  the  Austin  School  of 
Theology  were  disappointed  in  not  finding  him  there.  They 
united  in  addressing  to  him  the  following  letter: 

"Dallas,  Texas,  May  22,  1895. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother:  We,  your  old  students,  have  been 
sadly  disappointed  in  not  meeting  you  in  this  General  Assembly,  and 
feel  constrained  to  write  to  you  this  letter,  expressing  our  affectionate 
regard  for  you,  our  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  you,  and  our  sincere 
sympathy  with  you  in  the  affliction  which  has  kept  you  from  meeting 
with  us  at  this  time. 

"Our  minds  revert  to  the  time  when  we  sat  under  your  instructions, 
and  then  to  our  life-work  as  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  assure  you  of 
that  which  we  know  will  be  a  pleasure  to  you,  as  a  servant  of  our 
blessed  Master,  to  hear,  that  we  have  found  your  instruction  of  incalcu- 
lable help  and  benefit  to  us  in  preaching  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  gladly  embrace  the  opportunity  of  making 
this  grateful  acknowledgment  of  our  obligation  to  you  as  our  instructor. 

"We  would  assure  you  that  our  interest  in  you  is  deep  and  abiding, 
that  we  hold  you  in  highest  esteem  and  warmest  affection.  Our  hearts 
beat  in  tender  sympathy  with  you,  and  in  your  affliction  we  are  aiBicted. 

"Our  earnest  prayer  is  that  you  may  verify  in  your  experience  the 
sweetness  and  fulness  of  God's  promises  to  the  aged.  He  has  said, 
'Even  to  hoar  hairs  will  I  carry  you,'  and  'at  evening  time  it  shall  be 
light.'  As  you  grow  in  grace,  may  your  faith  grow  stronger  and  your 
hopes  brighter,  and  your  fellowship  with  the  Master  be  closer  and  fuller 
of  comfort  day  by  day.  We  earnestly  pray  that  God  may  spare  you  yet 
many  years  to  your  loved  ones,  and  to  the  church  of  God,  and  may  you 
still  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age.     It  would  afford  us  sincere  pleasure, 

'  Since  1897  this  argument  could  not  have  been  made  with  reference 
to  Texas  students  in  training  at  Union  Seminary,  in  Virginia.  The 
needs  of  the  great  Southwest  have  been  distinctly  recognized  in  this 
Seminary,  and  not  only  all  Texas  students,  but  the  mind  of  many  others 
determinedly  pointed  by  the  professors  in  that  direction. 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  505 

if  it  were  possible,  could  we  visit  you  in  a  body,  and  express  to  you, 
with  our  lips  and  with  our  presence,  what  we  find  it  impossible  to  write 
with  pen  and  ink.  Though  denied  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with  you  in 
our  Assembly  here,  we  live  in  confident  expectation  of  reunion  and 
recognition  in  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  God. 

"Please  present  our  most  kindly  regards  and  affectionate  remem- 
brance to  Mrs.  Dabney. 

"May  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  keep  your 
heart  and  mind  through  Jesus  Christ." 

To  this,  Dr.  Dabney  replied  in  the  following  letter  addressed 
to  the  Rev.  S.  B.  Campbell,  D.  D.,  of  Lancaster,  Texas : 

"Austin,  Texas,  June  2,  1895. 
"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  Your  letter  reached  me  in  due  time, 
giving  an  account  of  your  duties  under  the  Synod's  commission.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Red  also  brought  the  joint  letter  of  my  former  pupils,  to  which 
your  name  is  also  appended,  with  many  others.  Its  kind  expression  of 
sympathy  and  appreciation  are  exceedingly  valuable  to  me.  I  wish  I 
could  thank  each  of  the  dear  brethren  individually ;  but  I  do  not  know 
how  to  make  any  due  acknowledgments  except  through  you.  The  kind- 
ness of  the  brethren  causes  them  to  judge  my  efforts  for  their  good 
while  they  were  my  pupils  too  favorably;  but  I  trust  that,  during  these 
years  of  active  labor,  I  was  sincere  in  my  imperfect  efforts  as  a  teacher. 
Now,  I  feel  that  my  best  reward  is  in  the  realization  of  my  hope  that 
all  the  faculty,  training  and  learning  of  my  dear  younger  brethren  are 
now  faithfully  employed  for  the  glory  of  my  and  their  Redeemer,  and 
the  good  of  immortal  souls. 

"It  is  a  great  joy  to  me  to  see  my  old  pupils  filling  so  many  important 
places  in  Sion.  I  thank  them  for  their  prayers  in  my  behalf,  which  I 
trust  will  avail  to  this  result,  that  I  shall  be  sustained  during  the  remain- 
ing trials  which  are  destined  to  end  a  long  and  afflicted  life.  I  can- 
not but  surmise  that  my  days  of  active  labor  are  ended,  and  that  hence- 
forward there  remains  to  me  no  other  way  of  glorifying  my  Master 
except  by  patience  and  submission.  I  can  only  hope  to  win  that  form 
of  the  divine  approval  which  Milton  has  expressed  in  this  line  of  his 
sonnet : 

"  'They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait.' 

"May  all  my  former  pupils  be  allotted  a  more  peaceful  and  less 
afflicted  life  in  which  to  do  our  Master's  work,  and  win  many  souls  for 
their   hire  ! 

"Faithfully  yours  in  the  gospel,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dabney.  with  Miss  Hally  Morrison,  Mrs.  Dab- 
ney's  excellent  and  devoted  sister,  had  planned  to  spend  a  part 


5o6        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

of  the  summer  of  1895  in  Boonsboro,  Ark.,  in  the  house  of  a 
ministerial  friend  and  brother,  but  God  ordered  otherwise.  A 
part  of  the  planning  and  of  the  disposal,  with  pathetic  touches, 
is  set  forth  in  these  two  letters : 

"507  West  Twenty-third  Street,  Austin,  Texas, 

June  24,  1895. 
"Rev.  Uncas  McCluer. 

'"Dear  Brother:  The  picture  you  drew  last  summer  of  your  Boons- 
boro was  very  enticing  to  me.  You  remember  how  last  summer  a  sharp 
attack  of  sciatica  at  Dr.  Davis'  deprived  me  of  the  projected  pleasure 
of  a  visit  to  you.  Foreseeing  that  heat  and  mosquitoes  may  again  drive 
us  out  of  Austin  this  summer,  my  thoughts  turn  to  you  in  Boonsboro 
again.  Can  we  get  comfortable,  but  clean  and  plain  boarding  in  some 
of  your  families,  where  God  is  feared?  Remember,  we  are  old  people, 
and  cannot  climb  many  steps.  As  for  myself,  the  only  requisites  of  diet 
I  stickle  for  are  some  sweet  and  wholesome  stale  bread,  good  milk  and 
butter,  and  one  cup  in  twenty-four  hours  of  good,  pure  coffee,  free  from 
the  poisonous  abomination  of  coffee  grounds  stewed  over  again. 

"You  were  kind  enough  to  indicate  that  your  improvements  in  your 
home  might  by  the  summer  of  1895  enable  you  to  board  us  conveniently. 
If  so,  this  would  be  altogether  most  pleasant  to  us.  Our  feelings  stand 
just  thus:  on  the  one  hand,  we  would  wholly  prefer  to  be  your  guests; 
on  the  other,  we  should  be  loath  to  impose  our  poor  old  shackling  selves 
on  Mrs.  McCluer,  to  her  inconvenience.  Mrs.  Dabney  seems  quite  well. 
You  have  heard  how  I  have  had  another  long  and  terrible  spell  of  ill- 
ness. I  think  this  has  about  done  for  me  as  a  working  man.  I  am  not 
at  all  bed-ridden ;  I  am  clear  from  the  cough  and  sciatica  which  ha- 
rassed me  last  fall.  Can  walk  a  mile,  and  manage  one  fairly  good  meal 
a  day,  but  my  strength  does  not  come  back,  and  I  suppose  never  will.  I 
find  that  having  nothing  to  do  and  being  of  no  account  to  anybody  is 
the  hardest  work  I  ever  did  in  my  life. 

"I  hope  you  are  well.    Love  to  Mrs.  McCluer  and  your  family. 

"Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

"Victoria,  August  12.  1895. 
"Rev.   U.  McCluer. 

"My  Dear  Brother:  You  will  see  from  the  date  of  this  letter  that 
we  have  moved  permanently  to  the  house  of  our  son  Samuel,  in  Victoria, 
but  we  are  not  one  whit  the  less  grateful  to  you  and  Mrs.  McCluer  for 
the  great  kindness  of  your  invitation.  I  wish  we  were  in  your  good 
house  now,  but  we  managed  our  movements  so  indiscreetly  that  it 
became  simply  impracticable  for  us  to  make  our  proposed  journey  to 
Arkansas.  We  delayed  in  Austin,  like  lunatics,  so  long  that  both  Mrs. 
Dabney  and  I  were  prostrated  by  the  fiery  heats  of  Austin;  both  had 
quite  severe  attacks  of  sickness,  and  became  unable  to  stand  a  long 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  507 

journey.  So  the  only  remaining  alternative  was  to  take  refuge  here  with 
our  son,  where  the  summers  are  milder,  and  his  excellent  airy  house 
gives  us  every  possible  comfort. 

"You  are  perfectly  right  in  thinking  Austin  the  last  place  on  earth 
for  me  to  choose  as  a  home;  but  there  is  one  fatal  objection  to  Boons- 
boro  for  us.  Both  my  wife  and  I  have  been  for  years  afflicted  with 
chronic  bronchitis,  and  while  your  summer  climate  would  suit  us  de- 
lightfully, we  could  not  stand  your  winters.  So,  under  the  force  of 
events,  we  have  given  up  the  idea  of  an  independent  home  to  live  with 
one  of  our  sons.  We  find  ourselves  both  too  infirm  for  independence. 
I  have  prayed  much  for  providential  guidance,  and  I  trust  have  re- 
ceived it. 

"Accept  our  best  love  for  yourself  and  family.  Believe  me,  as  ever, 
affectionately  your 

"Brother  in  Christ,  R.  L.  Dabxey." 

Dr.  Dabney's  work  was  not  yet  done,  as  we  shall  see ;  but 
it  was  natural  that  he  should  dwell  upon  the  past  now  some- 
what more  than  had  been  his  wont.  A  letter  from  one  whom 
he  had  known  as  a  child,  whose  parents  he  had  known  and 
loved,  was  fitted  to  call  forth  the  reminiscent  mood — particu- 
larly a  letter  from  his  best-beloved  neighborhood.  Tinkling 
Spring,  a  people  to  whom  he  had  gone  out  as  having  much  in 
them  of  primal  worth,  steadfast,  strong  and  true.  On  a  soft 
October  day,  under  such  a  spell,  he  wrote : 

,    ,,  _  "Victoria,  Texas,  October  4,  1895. 

"A.  H.  McCue,  Esq. 

"Dear  Mr.  IMcCue  :  I  assure  you  that  your  kind  letter  has  given 
great  pleasure  to  a  blind  old  man,  whose  earthly  pleasures  are  neces- 
sarily shrunken  to  a  small  compass.  I  remember  you  perfectly,  both  as 
an  infant  and  as  a  grown  man,  having  seen  you  in  your  latter  state  upon 
my  visits  to  Tinkling  Spring,  during  and  after  the  war.  I  need  not  say 
how  warmly  I  remember  your  dear  mother,  whom  I  first  knew  as  Miss 
Ellen  Douglas.  Your  father's  house  was  the  first  one  I  entered  at  my 
first  visit  in  April,  1847,  nearly  fifty  years  ago.  The  picture  is  as  fresh 
in  my  mind  as  though  the  event  had  happened  last  week.  The  Rev. 
William  Richardson,  of  Waynesboro,  rode  over  with  me,  on  a  spring 
afternoon.  The  vision  is  now  before  me  of  the  green,  smiling  vale  of 
the  Long  Meadow,  of  the  hospitable  brick  mansion,  and  of  the  host  who 
met  us  at  the  door,  so  gracious  and  stately  in  his  manly  beauty,  with 
his  welcome  so  kindly  and  warm.  The  first  Mrs.  McCue  had  deceased 
some  months  before.  The  menage  v.-as  under  the  care  of  her  daughters, 
Misses  Elizabeth  (afterwards  Mrs.  David  Bell).  Margaret  (Mrs.  Dor- 
man),  Sarah  (Mrs.  Dr.  Alexander),  and  Evelina,  who  was  afterwards 
swept  away  in  her  queenly  beauty  by  typhoid  fever.    Of  the  sons,  James 


5o8        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

and  William  were  there ;  the  latter  afterwards  almost  the  image  of  his 
father.  During  my  whole  residence  at  Tinkling  Spring,  the  affection 
and  support  of  your  parents  never  failed  me.  My  service  in  Tinkling 
Spring  was  limited  to  six  years  and  two  months,  but  I  there  formed 
friendships  which  will  ever  remain  among  the  warmest  and  most  durable 
of  my  life.  These  friendships  were  grounded  on  the  solid  and  sturdy 
traits  of  the  Presbyterian  Scotch,  whom  I  then  first  came  to  know  to 
much  extent.  It  has  been  just  forty-two  years  since  I  left  there,  years 
which  carried  me  through  many  new,  strange  and  intense  experiences 
of  arduous  studies,  civil  war,  conquest  and  subjugation,  poverty  and 
hard  work,  domestic  bereavements,  and  last,  my  unexpected  and  strange 
migration  to  this  distant  and  alien  country.  You  know,  I  was  driven 
hither  mainly  by  the  decree  of  the  physicians  to  avoid  premature  death 
in  Prince  Edward.  I  have  secured  twelve  years  more  of  life  by  my 
removal,  and  made  some  valued  friends,  but  I  did  not  escape  the  afflic- 
tion of  impaired  health,  along  with  blindness,  whose  seeds  had  been  all 
laid  in  Virginia.  All  the  men  of  my  generation  at  Tinkling  Spring  are 
gone — John,  Franklin  and  Moses  McCue,  Mr.  Freeman.  McCluer,  the 
Hamiltons,  the  Gutheries,  David  S.  Bell,  Galbreaths,  Gilkersons,  Van 
Lears,  R.  Moffett,  Sr.,  Brooks,  Davises,  Alexanders,  Longs,  Abneys, 
McChesneys,  Coiners,  etc.,  etc. ;  but  it  is  always  grateful  to  me  to  learn 
that  I  am  affectionately  remembered  still  by  their  children  and  grand- 
children. How  strange  are  the  ways  of  Providence,  how  unforeseen  by 
us  purblind  mortals !  When  I  received  my  licensure  in  1846,  nothing 
was  further  from  my  dreams  than  a  settlement  and  marriage  in  the 
Valley  of  Virginia.  When  I  had  proved  my  acceptance  at  Tinkling 
Spring,  I  expected  nothing  except  to  make  that  pastorate  my  life  work; 
but  the  Synod  called  me  to  the  Seminary.  Then,  to  my  own  astonish- 
ment, and  as  if  by  magic.  Providence  transmuted  me  into  a  soldier,  as- 
sisting the  movements  of  great  battles,  and  then  their  military  historian. 
Then  I  was  shot  off  like  a  comet  to  this  strange  and  distant  land,  to 
assist  in  the  founding  of  a  great  University.  One  more  remove  awaits 
me,  the  most  certain  and  the  least  novel  and  surprising  of  all,  that  to 
the  grave. 

"You  must  give  my  and  my  wife's  most  affectionate  love  to  your 
mother  and  aunt,  to  George  Finley  and  to  my  old  friends,  who  remem- 
ber me.  Can  you  not  employ  the  leisure,  which  some  rainy  day  will  give 
you,  to  write  and  tell  me  more  about  my  old  friends,  Mr.  Bell's  chil- 
dren, etc.,  etc.  ? 

"We  have  left  Austin  and  come  to  reside  with  our  son  Samuel,  at 
Victoria,  in  South  Texas.  My  wife  is  reasonably  well  for  her  age, 
seventy-two  years  to-day  week.  After  a  long  and  terrible  sickness  the 
first  half  of  the  year,  which  began  with  grippe  and  came  pretty  near 
ending  with  death,  I  am  just  now  surprisingly  recovered,  able  again  to 
preach.  You  know  where  my  eldest  son,  Charles  W.  Dabney,  is.  My 
two  other  sons,  Samuel  and  Lewis,  are  prosperous  lawyers  in  Texas, 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work. 


509 


one  in  Victoria,  the  other  in  Dallas.     Samuel  married,  with  one  child; 
Lewis  about  to  be  married  to  a  Texas  lady.     Lewis,  his  mother's  baby, 
six  feet  two  inches  high,  weighing  two  hundred  pounds,  and  said  to  be 
in  figure  just  the  match  of  Jim  Corbett ! 
"Again,  with  best  love  for  your  mother, 

"Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabxey." 

The  Synod  of  Texas,  sitting  at  Palestine,  in  the  auttimn  of 
1895,  appointed  the  Rev.  Samuel  A.  King,  D.  D.,  of  Waco,  to 
convey  to  Dr.  Dabney  its  sentiments  of  sympathy  and  love.  In 
pursuance  of  this  commission,  Dr.  King  wrote : 

"Waco,  Texas,  November  4.  1895. 
"Rcz'.  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D.,  Victoria,  Texas. 

"Dear  Dr.  Dabney:  I  was  last  week  requested,  by  resolution  of  the 
Synod  of  Texas,  to  convey  to  you  an  expression  of  the  sympathy  and 
love  of  the  members  of  that  body.  There  were  many  demands  on  my 
time  and  thought  when  I  reached  home,  and  I  have  not  found  it  prac- 
ticable till  to-day  to  undertake  to  write  to  you. 

"I  beg  to  assure  you  of  the  heartiness  of  the  feeling  toward  you 
expressed  by  that  resolution  of  the  Synod.  Many  members  of  the  body 
— as  is  the  case  in  every  Southern  Synod — had  been  your  students  in 
the  years  gone  by;  and  those  who  had  not  enjoyed  that  privilege  hold 
you  in  high  regard  as  one  of  the  great  masters  in  our  Israel. 

"Very  many  of  those  who  attended  the  late  meeting  came  to  Pales- 
tine with  the  hope  of  seeing  you  there,  and  were  disappointed  when  they 
learned  that  you  could  not  come. 

"I  voice  the  sentiment  of  your  many  friends  when  I  express  the  hope 
that  you  may  be  spared  for  many  years  to  come,  to  bear  fruit  in  old  age, 
and  to  benefit,  by  your  counsels  and  your  prayers,  the  church  you  have 
served  and  love  so  well.  We  all  sympathize  deeply  with  you  in  the 
great  affliction  visited  upon  you  in  the  loss  of  your  sight,  but  are  thank- 
ful for  the  grace  given  you  to  bear  this  great  trial  with  such  admirable 
fortitude,  and  so  sweet  a  spirit  of  Christian  resignation.  I  think  that 
God  sometimes  puts  supremest  honor  on  his  servants  when  he  appoints 
to  them  the  heated  furnace  of  affliction,  and  then  walks  with  them  in 
the  midst  of  the  fires,  and  brings  them  forth  without  the  smell  of  fire 
upon  the  garments  of  the  soul. 

"It  is  the  wish  and  the  prayer  of  the  many  friends  who  honor  you 
for  your  work's  sake,  and  who  gratefully  recognize  the  quantity  and  the 
quality  of  your  abundant  labors  for  the  Master's  cause  and  kingdom, 
that  your  declining  years  may  be  years  of  peacefulness  and  content,  and 
that  you  may  enjoy  to  the  full  those  precious  promises  which  you  have 
been  permitted  to  hold  forth  to  others  in  their  hour  of  need,  and  that 
you  may  realize  the  satisfying  fulness  of  that  glorious  gospel  which  you 
have  so  ably  preached  and  defended.    May  you  find  help  and  strength  in 


510        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

the  companionship  of  him  who  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  his  own; 
and  may  you  find  comfort  in  the  thought  which  cheered  the  heart  of 
England's  great  blind  bard — 

"  '  Who  best 

Bear  his  mild  yoke,  they  serve  him  best.     His  state 

Is  kingly;    thousands  at  his  bidding  speed, 

And  post  o'er  land  and  ocean  without  rest ; 

They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait.' 

"With  my  personal  regards  to  yourself  and  Mrs.  Dabney,  I  am 

"Truly  and  fraternally  yours,  Samuel  A.  King." 

To  Dr.  King's  letter  Dr.  Dabney  replied : 

"Victoria,  Texas,  November  8,  1895. 
"Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  A.  King,  IVaco,  Texas. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  Yours  of  November  4th  was  handed 
me  by  Dr.  Johnson.  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  exceedingly  kind 
expression  which  you  have  given  of  the  message  of  the  Synod.  These 
assurances  of  their  respect  and  Christian  love,  which  I  know  to  be 
sincere,  are  yet  humbling  to  me,  because  they  are  so  much  beyond  what 
I  deserve;  but  it  is  very  real  and  valuable  recompense  to  me  to  enjoy 
these  sentiments  so  generously  expressed  by  my  brethren.  You  console 
me  with  Milton's  striking  line — 

"  '  They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait.' 

"I  pray  that  God  may  accept  my  present  position.  In  some  respects 
it  is  a  harder  form  of  service  than  that  of  those  who  are  running  and 
working  in  the  execution  of  their  divine  Master's  will ;  but  I  endeavor 
to  possess  my  soul  in  patience.  I  suppose  the  waiting  angels  found  the 
best  solace,  for  their  inactivity,  in  the  prospect  of  being  soon  emploj-ed 
again.  I  spent  the  early  part  of  this  year  in  much  infirmity  and  pain. 
Since  I  removed  to  Victoria  my  health  has  improved  very  much.  My 
estate  is  now  as  comfortable  as  it  was  last  year.  I  preach,  without  any 
unusual  fatigue,  sermons  which,  I  presume,  are  fully  long  enough  for 
my  hearers. 

"I  earnestly  hope  that  your  health  is  good,  and  your  family  restored 
to  comfortable,  health. 

"Were  Synod  still  in  session,  I  should  endeavor  to  send  them, 
through  you,  the  warmest  expression  of  my  gratitude.  With  best  wishes, 
"Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney." 

During  the  year  1895,  I^^"-  Dabney  published,  through  the 
Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication,  Richmond,  Va.,  his 
excellent  little  tract  of  eighty  pages,  on  the  "Five  Points  of 
Calvinism,"  and  contributed   occasional  articles  to  the  news- 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  511 

papers,  notably  one  or  two  philippics  against  the  effort  to 
remove  Union  Theological  Seminary  from  Hampden-Sidney 
to  Richmond. 

The  autumn,  winter  and  spring  of  1895-96  he  spent  in  Vic- 
toria, living  still  in  the  home  of  his  son.  He  preached  fre- 
quently for  Dr.  Josephus  Johnson,  of  Victoria,  Dr.  Johnson 
taking  occasion  of  his  presence  to  push  evangelistic  work  in  the 
outlying  regions.  He  waged  war,  by  private  correspondence, 
against  the  removal  of  Union  Theological  Seminary.  He  plead 
for  the  retention  of  the  Seminary  in  Southside  Virginia,  as 
needed  to  help  the  white  people  in  their  struggle  to  prevent 
their  section's  being  Africanized.  He  made  much  of  the  great 
amount  of  money  which  had  been  laid  out  in  buildings  at 
Hampden-Sidney,  and  which  would,  in  case  of  removal,  have 
to  be  sacrificed  in  large  part.  He  suggested  that  it  would  be 
bad  faith  to  the  donors  of  the  funds  so  employed  to  sacrifice 
the  buildings ;  and  he  contended  that  from  Hampden-Sidney  a 
more  uncompromisingly  moral  and  spiritual  set  of  men  could  be 
sent  out  than  from  a  Seminary  located  in  a  centre  of  worldli- 
ness ;  that  living  in  such  a  godly  neighborhood  for  three  years, 
and  properly  taught,  the  young  men  would  be  made  stronger 
than  if  living  in  a  less  helpful  environment  and  equally  well 
taught.  ^  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  all  the  while  he  was  pleading 
for  the  establishment  of  the  Texas  Theological  Seminary,  in 
Austin,  using  much  the  same  arguments  used  by  those  who 
favored  the  removal  of  Union  Seminary  to  Richmond ;  but 
because  his  great  big  heart  had  gone  out  and  fastened  on 
Hampden-Sidney,  where  he  had  lived  for  the  best  part  of  his 
life,  where  he  had  done  his  noblest  work,  where  he  had  laid 
three  of  his  bright  boys  in  the  grave,  where  he  had  determined 
that  his  own  bones  should  lie,  he  was  necessarily  inconsistent. 

During  these  months  he  had  his  seasons  of  dejection.  He 
writes,  on  May  3.  1896,  to  his  son.  Dr.  Charles  W.  Dabney: 

"Some,  at  least  partial,  employment  I  crave  exceedingly.  Without 
it  an  old  man  rusts  out  quick,  in  mind  and  body,  and  sinks  into  a  dejec- 
tion tending  to  discontent  and  dotage.  Now,  I  know  my  bladder  disease 
is  incurable,  and  liable  at  any  time  to  grow  worse  and  kill  me.  Were 
I  settled  where  I  had  some  light  employment,  I  know  I  might  die  in 
six  months  thereafter.  I  have  been  expecting  to  die  every  year  since 
this  disease  fixed  itself  on  me,  especially  last  March,  a  year  ago;  but 
it  seems  I  can't.  I  am  now  stronger  and  better  than  for  three  years ; 
preached  last  Sunday  for  Brother  Johnson,  tzvicc,  good  long  sermons, 


512        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

without  the  least  injury.  I  have  always  thought  that  the  sensible 
arrangement  for  me,  after  losing  my  professorship,  would  be  to  go  Lo 
some  city  presenting  social  advantages,  and  an  occasional  call  for  ser- 
vices, pulpit  and  literary,  where  I  could  be  of  some  use  and  keep  off 
dotage." 

He  longed  to  be  keeping  house  again,  and  on  this  he  wrote : 
"Had  I  my  eyes,  this  question  would  be  soon  settled.  I  would 
go  to  Red  Hill,  and  live  in  iny  own  noble  house  there,  'the 
world  forgetting,  by  the  world  forgot,'  spending  the  winters  in 
some  Southern  city." 

The  latter  months  of  the  summer  of  1896  were  passed  in 
Arkansas,  at  Boonsboro  and  Fayetteville.  There  Dr.  Dabney 
preached  several  times  for  Dr.  S.  W.  Davies.*  There  he  pre- 
pared a  manuscript  on  Theism,  having  Dr.  Davies'  help,  and 
planned  to  write  further  on  the  doctrine  of  substitution.  He 
published  in  the  Central  Presbyterian  of  September  2,  1896,  a 
ringing  article  on  the  propriety  of  our  churches  giving  a  better 
support  to  the  Assembly's  cause  of  Home  Missions.  He  con- 
demned our  doing  so  much  less  for  this  cause  than  for  Synodi- 
cal  Missions,  and  showed  that  the  genius  of  our  church  polity 
demands  that  in  aggressive  work  the  church  be  a  unit.  He 
concludes,  pregnantly,  as  follows  : 

"We  have  deliberately  preferred  Presbyterianism  to  Independency. 
Our  principle  is  this,  that  the  power  of  the  whole  is,  under  Christ,  over 
that  of  parts.  So  in  our  efforts  for  Christ,  the  strength  of  the  whole 
ought  to  sustain  each  of  the  parts.  Our  ears  have  been  familiar  with 
some  notable  sophistries  here,  from  those  who  sought  to  disintegrate 
the  organized  work  of  the  Assembly's  committee.  It  was  asked,  'What 
is  gained  by  sending  the  collections  of  a  given  Presbytery  to  Atlanta, 
and  then  sending  it  back  to  sustain  the  missions  of  that  Presbytery? 
Does  this  double  journey  make  the  sum  of  money  any  larger?'  Let  me 
ask  a  parallel  question.  What  is  gained  by  sending  the  taxes  collected  in 
the  border  county  of  Breathitt  to  the  State  Treasury  in  Frankfort,  Ky., 
and  then  sending  them  back  to  pay  the  cost  of  county  government  there? 
I  answer,  Statehood  is  gained!  Should  Kentucky  act  on  this  sophism 
she  would  cease  to  be  a  State;  her  unity  and  sovereignty  would  perish; 
she  would  be  impotent  to  protect  Breathitt  or  any  other  county  from 
invasion  or  domestic  insurrection.  My  old  friend.  Dr.  John  Leighton 
Wilson,  was  both  saint  and  statesman.  This  was  his  theory  of  church 
action,  to  make  the  church  a  unit  in  the  aggressive  work,  so  that  the 

*  He  fainted  once,  however,  in  Dr.  Davies'  pulpit  while  trying  lo 
preach. 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  513 

strength  of  the  whole  should  sustain  the  weakest  part.  But  its  resources 
must  be  unified  in  order  to  unify  its  work.  This  was  the  policy  by  which 
he  victoriously  led  our  church  through  the  perils  and  struggles  of  its 
infancy,  up  to  success  and  adult  strength.  We  have  modified  it  only  to 
our  disadvantage." 

About  the  end  of  September,  he  and  his  good  wife  went  to 
Dallas,  and  visited  their  son  Lewis  and  his  wife  for  a  month, 
and  then  returned  to  Victoria,  where  they  put  in  the  winter 
pretty  much  as  the  preceding  one,  save  that  they  kept  house  in 
a  rented  cottage,  close  to  the  home  of  their  son,  "good  Samuel,'' 
as  the  father  calls  him  in  more  than  one  letter.  Some  time  was 
consumed  in  their  removal  and  fresh  start  in  housekeeping. 
They  each  had  a  case  of  grippe  with  relapses.  The  fires  *of  the 
man's  tireless  energies  did  not  even  wane,  however.  He  did 
occasional  preaching ;  he  contributed  articles  to  the  newspapers, 
taking  an  able  hand  in  the  current  discussion  of  "Baptism  for 
the  Dead,"  as  may  be  seen  in  the  Christian  Observer  of  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1897,  and  in  that  of  the  nature  of  the  gifts  conferred  at 
Pentecost,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  same  paper,  of  March  31,  1897, 
Much  more  besides  he  was  doing,  as  will  soon  appear. 

To  the  Assembly  of  1897,  sitting  in  Charlotte,  N.  C,  Dr. 
Dabney  came,  not  only  as  a  member  of  the  body,  but  as  the 
author  of  one  of  the  great  Memorial  Addresses  in  connection 
with  the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  adoption 
of  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith.  His  presence  there 
was  greeted  in  a  manner  singularly  reverential.  Rarely  has 
greater  honor  been  shown  a  minister  of  our  church  by  his 
brethren.  Says  Dr.  S.  A.  King,  who  has  just  been  elected  to 
the  chair  of  Theology  in  the  Seminary,  for  whose  founding 
Dabney  prayed  and  labored  so,  at  Austin,  Texas: 

"The  Assembly  at  Charlotte  had  on  its  roll  an  unusual  number  of 
tiames  of  note,  and,  in  addition,  there  were  present  others  of  great  ability 
and  prominence  who  had  been  chosen  to  take  part  in  the  Westminster 
Memorial  Celebration.  There  had  been  no  such  gathering  of  noted  men 
since  the  Assembly  at  Louisville  in  1870.  Among  those  brought  together 
on  this  memorable  occasion,  in  that  historic  Presbyterian  city.  Dr.  Dab- 
ney was  easily  the  most  prominent  and  the  most  honored.  Many  who 
were  there  had  been  his  students;  he  was  the  Gamaliel  at  whose  feet 
they  had  sat.  To  all  he  was  the  Moses  who  had  been  the  leader  in 
'times  that  tried  men's  souls.'  There  was  an  unspoken  feeling  that  this 
would  be  the  last  meeting  of  that  high  court  which  he  would  attend. 
and  that  when  the  last  adieus  were  said  at  the  Assembly's  close,  the 

33 


514        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

most  of  those  who  were  there  would  see  his  face  no  more.  Such  refer- 
ence for  the  man  and  deference  to  the  wisdom  of  the  leader  are  rarely 
witnessed.  His  every  utterance  was  heard  with  profoundest  interest, 
and  his  counsels  received  v/ith  the  utmost  deference  and  respect.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  deliberations  of  that  great  Assembly,  and 
served  with  his  accustomed  diligence  as  chairman  of  one  of  the  leading 
committees.  The  most  notable  feature  of  that  Assembly  was  the  cele- 
bration of  the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Westminster 
Assembly.  A  carefully-prepared  programme  had  been  arranged  by  an 
eminently  competent  committee,  and  eleven  able  and  distinguished  men 
had  been  chosen  to  discuss  as  many  topics  pertinent  to  the  occasion. 
To  Dr.  Dabney  had  been  assigned  the  subject  of  'The  Doctrinal  Contents 
of  the  Confession.'  He  had  prepared  a  paper,  which  was  read,  at  his 
request,  by  a  brother  minister,  and  which,  although  coming  in  the  midst 
of  such  a  feast,  was  listened  to  with  most  profound  attention.  It  was  a 
masterly  setting  forth  of  the  doctrinal  contents  of  the  Confession,  and 
of  the  necessity  and  value  of  creeds.  .  .  .  While  this  was  one  of  Dr. 
Dabney's  latest  public  services  to  the  church,  it  was  one  of  his  greatest. 
That  address,  with  the  other  ten,  is  fittingly  preserved  in  the  Memorial 
Volume,  and  will  go  down  to  history  as  not  only  one  of  the  master- 
pieces of  its  illustrious  author,  but  as  one  of  the  most  able  and  lucid 
presentations  of  the  doctrinal  contents  of  our  Confession,  and  of  the 
reasons  for  having  and  for  upholding  our  creed.  It  will  take  an  honored 
place  in  Presbyterian  and  Calvinistic  classics.  ...  I  trust  I  will  be 
pardoned  for  a  feeling  of  pride  that  this  greatest  man  of  that  notable 
Assembly  was  there  as  a  commissioner  from  a  Texas  Presbytery." 

Dr.  R.  O.  Mallard,  in  the  Southern  Presbyterian,  referring 
to  the  two  Memorial  Addresses  delivered  by  Dr.  Henry  Alex- 
ander White  and  Dr.  Robert  Price,  writes : 

"A  most  interesting  and  touching  feature  of  the  service  was  the 
presence  on  the  platform  and  introductory  prayer  of  Dr.  Dabney.  As 
he  was  led  forward,  in  his  blindness  to  the  Moderator's  table,  feeling 
with  tremulous  hands  for  its  support,  it  was  a  sight  pathetic  in  the 
extreme.  It  may  seem  hardly  proper  to  comment  on  a  prayer,  but  this 
was  so  full  and  fitting,  and  carried  us  in  such  humble  gratitude  to  the 
splendid  past  of  Presbyterianism,  and  in  such  hopefulness  and  trust  to 
the  future,  and  so  voiced  the  present  feelings  and  longings  of  the  great 
audience,  that  we  cannot  help  noting  it.  The  venerable  leader's  petition 
that  we  might  be  endued  with  the  martyr  spirit  of  the  fathers  must 
have  produced  searchings  of  the  heart,  and  his  prayer  to  be  kept  from 
vain-glory — in  the  light  of  subsequent  two-fold  story  of  our  honored 
past — seemed  almost  gifted  with  the  seer's  sagacity,  who  foresaw  the 
exaltation  to  be  produced  by  the  double  narrative."  ° 

'  See  editorial  correspondence,  Southzccstcrn  Presbyterian,  May  27,  1897. 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  515 

Dr.  Dabney  in  this  Assembly  conceived  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
criticise  the  course  of  one  of  our  Synods,  and  to  defend  Dr. 
Craig,  the  Assembly's  Secretary  of  Home  Missions,  and  in  the 
same  connection  to  protest  against  independency  in  general. 
Carrying  out  this  conception  of  his  duty,  he  made  a  most 
effective  speech.     Of  this  speech  Dr.  Mallard  writes : 

"Totally  blind,  weak  in  body,  but  full  of  intellectual  vigor,  courage 
and  zeal,  he  was  always  listened  to  with  profound  respect  and  attention, 
as  he  is  entitled  to  be.  The  lion  was  roused  in  him  by  what  he  boldly 
characterised  as  'insubordination'  in  a  Synod,  viz.,  setting  aside  the 
Assembly's  direction  for  Home  Missions  collection  in  favor  of  local 
interests — in  defending  the  Secretary -by  an  argumcntum  ad  hominem — 
and  arraignment  of  the  present  mode  of  supporting  our  candidates  as 
unfair,  because,  through  unreported  private  help  given  to  some,  marked 
by  partiality.  His  crisp,  logically  arranged  'points,'  characterized  by  his 
usual  ardor,  were  flung  out  in  strong,  clear,  deliberate  tones,  which 
rang  through  the  spacious  audience  room."  ° 

The  kindness  and  honor  shown  him  were  very  much  appre- 
ciated. He  writes,  by  the  hand  of  his  good  wife,  to  his  friend, 
Rev.  Uncas  McCluer: 

"We  can  venture  to  be  a  little  egotistical  with  such  dear  old  friends. 
We  had  a  pleasant  time  at  the  Assembly  for  such  an  old  pair.  It  was  a 
good  Assembly,  not  only  because  a  multitude  of  kind  brethren  gave  such 
kind  greetings  to  the  blind  old  Doctor,  but  there  was  more  dignity  and 
less  wrangling,  and  the  Assembly  kept  to  its  business  with  industry.  In 
Charlotte  we  also  met  many  friends  not  ministerial,  as  Mrs.  Stonewall 
Jackson,  Mrs.  Dupuy  (Mary  Sampson)  and  many  others." 

They  paid  a  good  many  visits  in  North  Carolina,  and  spent 
some  months,  the  latter  part  of  June,  July,  August  and  Septem- 
ber, at  Asheville.  In  the  letter  just  quoted,  Dr.  Dabney  con- 
tinues : 

"Mrs.  Dabney  paid  a  visit  of  a  few  days  to  Fayetteville,  and  met 
her  sister,  Mrs.  Smith,  who  was  then  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  McKel- 
way.  Among  the  old  friends,  we  met  the  rich  widow,  Mrs.  Mary 
McAden,  daughter  of  Dr.  Terry,  of  Prince  Edward.  We  spent  a  de- 
lightful week  at  her  fine  country  seat,  near  her  great  cotton  mills. 
Then  a  week  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Shearer,  at  Davidson  College.  Then 
one  at  Mooresville  to  see  the  Rev.  James  M.  Wharey,  a  dear  pupil  and 
friend,  and  son  of  my  father's  pastor,  and  so  we  came  here  (to  Ashe- 

"  See  editorial  correspondence,  Southzuestcni  Presbyterian,  June  3,  1897. 


5i6        Life  axd  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

ville)  safely,  where  son  Charlej'  met  us  at  the  depot.  Here  he  and  his 
family  were  installed  for  the  summer  in  a  nice  rented  cottage.  Another, 
smaller  one  ready  furnished  for  us  was  near  by  theirs.  This  was  about 
the  22d  of  June."  ' 

At  Asheville  they  hoped  to  have  a  charming  summer.  Man, 
however,  proposes,  but  God  disposes.  The  younger  children  of 
Dr.  Charles  Dabney  sickened  about  the  end  of  June.  Their 
parents  were  burdened  with  care  and  nursing.  This  sickness 
proved  to  be  tedious  cases  of  typhoid  fever.  The  days  were 
made  sad  and  anxious  for  the  aged  grandparents,  also.  They 
took  the  eldest  grandchild.  Marguerite,  to  their  cottage.  Cathe- 
rine, the  youngest  was  quite  ill,  but  her  case  took  the  normal 
course,  and  she  got  well  in  due  time.  In  Mary  Moore's  case 
there  were  repeated  reinfections,  and  the  disease  went  on  its 
frightful  way  for  twelve  weeks.  Her  life  was  almost  despaired 
of  by  nurses  and  physicians.  "During  it  all,"  says  Dr.  Charles 
W.  Dabney,  "my  father's  solicitude  was  of  course  intense,  but 
his  faith  never  wavered.  He  would  come  several  times  a  day 
and  sit,  in  his  blindness,  either  on  the  front  porch  or  in  the  hall, 
and  sometimes  in  the  room  by  the  bedside,  ministering  as  he 
well  knew  how  to  do,  to  our  distressed  spirits.  He  told  us  of 
his  own  sorrow,  and  that  of  my  mother,  in  the  illness  and  death 
of  his  boys,  and  did  more  than  any  other  mortal  could  to  sup- 
port us  in  the  great  trial.  He  was  always  a  very  deeply  affec- 
tionate father,  but  it  seems  to  me  he  drew  closer  to  us  during 
this  great  trial  than  ever  before." 

While  they  were  in  the  course  of  this  long  agony,  he  dictated 
the  following  lines,  so  full  of  suppliant  strength  and  beauty, 
and,  in  the  end,  of  exalting  gratitude : 

"  Our  Lord  had  lent  to  us  a  blessed  child, 
Of  face  and  form  most  fair,  of  spirit  mild, 
Yet  bright  and  strong.    Throughout  ten  happy  years 
She  grew  into  our  hearts,  'mid  joys  and  fears. 
And  as  she  grew,  'twas  ever  yet  more  plain 
The  spirit's  grace  had  purged  the  natal  stain 
Derived  from  us,  from  her  infantile  soul. 
The  grace  grew  with  her  growth,  to  faith's  control. 
Obedience,  purity,  and  love's  submiss. 
Which  made  her  childhood's  days  a  saintly  bliss. 
But  as  the  cloudless  day  preludes  the  storm, 

'  Letter  to  Rev.  Uncas  McCluer.  July  2-].   1897. 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  517 

So  midst  her  bloom  there  fell  upon  her  form 

A  creeping  blight,  so  stealthy,  sallow,  slow, 

Ere  we  had  feared,  the  fever  laid  her  low ; 

Then  turned  I,  weeping,  to  my  Lord  in  prayer : 

O  Thou,  who  never  didst  refuse  to  hear, 

When  on  our  earth,  the  guilty  suppliant's  voice, 

But  madest  each  petitioner  rejoice, 

E'en  though  by  miracle,  with  succor  swift. 

Divine  Physician,  give  us  now  this  gift. 

The  life  of  our  dear  lamb !     O  come  and  heal 

Our  sufferer,  nor  spurn  our  sore  appeal. 

Then  to  my  spirit  came  an  answering  word. 

Not  to  the  outward  sense,  but  from  the  Lord, 

To  faith's  clear  vision :  Knowest  thou,  old  man, 

What  thou  dost  ask?     Shall  I  extend  the  span 

Of  this  dear  life  to  four-score  weary  years. 

And  fill  them,  like  thine  own,  with  many  tears, 

And  fleeting  joys,  and  long  enduring  pains, 

To  stray  and  sin  before  temptation's  strain. 

And  then  with  shame  to  duty's  path. 

To  toil  and  lose,  and  bear  the  victor's  wrath, 

Helpless  and  slandered,  while  it  drinks  the  gall 

Of  sore  bereavements ;    then,  as  end  of  all, 

Through  darksome  days  and  listless  years  to  pine? 

Which  is  the  wiser  love,  or  thine  or  mine, 

Should  I  elect  to  lift  her  to  my  arms. 

By  briefest  conflict,  safe  from  earthly  harms. 

And  for  her  teachers  seraphim  prefer 

To  thy  poor  schooling?     But  thou  lovest  her! 

Is  not  my  love  more  wise  and  strong, 

As  tears  are  cheaper  than  my  blood  divine, 

Shed  for  her  soul  upon  the  dreadful  tree? 

Thou  weepest !    But  I  died  on  Calvary 

That  she  might  live. 
Then,  prone  before  the  heavenly  voice,  I  said, 
Teach  me,  O  Christ,  to  pray  as  thou  hast  prayed. 
When  in  thy  extremity  of  woe : 
'Spare  me,  O  Father,  if  it  may  be  so. 
That  I  this  cup  of  bitter  grief  may  shun. 
If  not,  then  let  thy  holy  will  be  done. 
Not  mine.'    We  see  that  goodness  infinite 
Doth  choose,  and  too  boundless  to  permit 
Aught  but  the  best  for  us.    Then  fell  great  peace 
Upon  our  troubled  breasts,  not  by  our  cease 
Of  love  parental,— this  but  deeper  grew,— 
But  by  the  growth  of  love  and  faith  more  true. 


5i8        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

Then,  as  with  chastened  hearts  we  watched  and  prayed, 

New,  blessed  hope  was  born,  the  plague  was  stayed, 

The  ebbing  tide  of  life  stood  still,  then  stole 

Back  to  its  channels.    Lo  !   the  sick  was  whole. 

What  thankfulness,  O  Father,  can  befit 

Thy  mercy  so  beyond  our  hope,  so  sweet? 

Thy  precious  loan  we  consecrate  anew. 

By  a  new  baptism.    May  our  vows  be  true, 

Our  earthly  schooling  like  to  that  above. 

From  which  our  prayers  detain  her,  and  our  love, 

For  Heaven  postponed,  a  compensation  prove." 

During  this  period  the  old,  bhnd  grandfather  and  his  eldest 
grandchild,  whom  he  had  long  been  wishing  to  teach,  were 
drawing-  close  together.  Marguerite  was  a  bright,  handsome, 
earnest,  intelligent,  high-spirited,  wholesomely  ambitious  child, 
already  a  Christian.  She  lived  with  her  grandfather  during 
these  days,  read  to  him,  sang  to  him,  led  him  about  town, 
carried  him  to  Dr.  Charles  W.  Dabney's  cottage,  took  him  back 
again.  He  had  never  had  a  daughter  of  his  own.  There  is  no 
estimating  the  happiness  he  found  in  this  grandchild.^ 

While  at  Asheville  in  the  summer  of  1897.  he  published  sev- 
eral newspaper  articles,  amongst  them  two  on  "Aesthetics  as  a 
Substitute  for  Christianity,"  in  the  Soiitlizvcsfcni  Preshytcriati. 
They  were  not  only  timely  but  able. 

From  Asheville  he  went  to  Lenoir,  N.  C,  to  pay  a  visit  to  his 
friends  the  Rev.  C.  A.  Munroe  and  his  wife,  the  daughter  of 
Col.  Henry  Stokes,  of  Prince  Edward  county,  Va.  While  so- 
journing in  this  hospitable  home,  he  learns  that  the  chastening 
rod  has  fallen  on  his  old  friend  and  fellow-elder  in  the  College 
Church,  and  writes  to  him : 

,  '-Lenoir,  N.  C,  October  6,  1897. 

Col.  Henry  Stokes. 

"My  Dear  Old  Friend  :  Here  we  are,  Mrs.  Dabney  and  I,  in  your 
Mary's  house  in  Lenoir,  N.  C,  receiving  the  greatest  kindness,  and  en- 

*  Margurite  was  to  follow  her  grandfather  to  heaven  when  only 
seventeen.  She  died  on  the  27th  of  June,  1899.  In  her  obituary  we  read : 
"Thoroughly  devoted  to  her  grandfather.  Rev.  Dr.  Dabney,  when  he 
visited  the  family,  she  hung  to  him  like  his  shadow.  The  whole  of  his 
last  summer  on  earth  was  spent  with  his  son  Charles'  family  in  Ashe- 
ville, N.  C,  and  Margurite  fairly  lived  with  him,  and  read  and  sang  to 
him  in  his  blindness.  He  used  to  say,  when  she  sang  the  old-time  hymns 
to  him.  that  she  had  the  voice  of  an  angel." 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  519 

joying  a  week  of  delightful  rest,  talking  about  you  all  and  other  old 
friends. 

"It  was  here  we  first  learned  the  particulars  of  your  sickness,  and 
of  your  partial  restoration.  All  news  of  you  and  your  family  has  been 
interesting  to  us.  We  feel  at  once  much  sorrow  for  your  sickness,  and 
a.  sacred  pleasure  at  the  sustaining  grace  which  enables  you  to  be  patient, 
calm  and  cheerful  under  your  confinement. 

"The  writing  of  this  takes  me  back  very  tenderly  to  old  times,  before, 
during  and  after  the  war,  when  first  we  were  so  prosperous  and  hopeful ; 
then  so  terribly  pressed;  then  struggling  up  again  during  the  years  of 
reconstruction. 

"Pictures  come  before  me  of  my  visit  to  the  cottage  over  on  the  big 
hill,  and  good,  kind  Mrs.  Stokes,  and  her  string  of  boys  (how  rich 
you  were  in  them),  and  Mary  and  Sally,  and  of  preaching  to  your 
servants. 

"There  come  before  me  scenes  in  the  old  church,  the  building  of  the 
new  one,  communion  seasons  and  commencements,  so  closely  associated 
with  your  face  and  figure :   also.  Messrs.  Edmunds,  Berkeley  and  Terry. 

"Pardon  my  egotism  for  referring  to  the  last  of  those  commence- 
ment scenes,  in  which  I  had  part,  in  June,  1882 ;  when,  at  the  end  of 
my  discourse  on  the  'New  South.'  I  saw  you  going  off  the  stage  with 
tears  in  your  e\es.  Get  Sally  to  read  it  to  you  now;  it  is  in  the  fourth 
volume  of  my  collected  works. 

"I  am  now  seventy-seven  and  a  half  years  old,  and  my  wife  just 
seventy-four.  It  is  too  plain  to  us  who  have  reached  such  age  that  there 
is  not  much  more  time  before  us  on  this  earth.  I  feel,  as  no  doubt  j'ou 
do,  that  my  chief  business  now  is  to  be  ready  for  the  approaching 
change.  There  are  some  petitions  which  will  come  in  every  time  I 
pray :  'Lord,  choose  the  time  and  mode ;'  'Lord,  make  me  ready,  come 
when  it  may;'  'Lord,  increase  my  faith;'  'O  Lord,  give  me  dying  grace 
in  the  dying  hour ;'  'O  Lord,  make  my  children  and  their  children  ready.' 

"My  main  prayer  for  you  is  that  you  may  be  sustained  and  blessed 
in  your  sickness,  and  my  secondary  one,  that  you  may  be  restored,  and 
yet  spared  a  great  while  to  your  family  and  church. 

"We  go  from  here  to  Davidson  College,  where  I  have  a  short  course 
of  lectures ;  then  to  Texas,  as  soon  as  the  yellow  fever  is  out  of  the 
way;  but  during  this  banishment,  the  Lord's  people  in  North  Carolina 
are  taking  good  care  of  us. 

"I  am  much  broken  in  the  last  year,  and  as  blind  as  a  brick-bat,  but 
I  see  much  happiness;  so  may  you.  Best  love  to  Mrs.  Stokes,  and  all 
the  children,  also  to  old  friends. 

"Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabxev."  ' 


*This  letter  was  written  by  the  hand  of  Mrs.  Dabney;  but  he  signed 
it  in  his  irregular,  blind  hand,  that  his  old  friend  might  see  it.  we  sup- 
pose. 


520        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

From  Lenoir  he  proceeded  to  Davidson  College,  according- 
to  his  plan,  to  deliver  his  lectures  on  the  Otts  Foundation.  His 
subject  was,  "The  Penal  Character  of  the  Atonement  of  Christ 
Discussed  in  the  Light  of  Recent  Popular  Heresies."  The  first 
of  the  lectures  was  delivered  on  Sunday,  the  loth  of  October. 
A  spectator  and  hearer  writes : 

"It  was  an  inspiring  sight  and  a  striking  testimony  to  the  power  of 
the  human  intellect  to  see  this  venerable  servant  of  God,  ripe  in  years 
and  still  riper  in  the  vigor  of  his  mind,  in  total  blindness,  and  thus 
thrown  entirely  upon  the  resources  of  his  intellect,  unfold,  step  by  step,, 
with  the  confidence  and  ease  and  skill  of  a  master,  the  doctrines  of  an 
heretical  theology,  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  these  lectures  to  contro- 
vert." 

The  introductory  lecture  was  followed  by  five  others,  and  of 
these  the  same  writer  says : 

"One  who  listens  to  more  in  the  series  of  Dr.  Dabney's  lectures  is 
but  more  confirmed  in  the  impression  made  by  the  first  in  the  series, 
which  was  that,  though  his  natural  sight  has  become  darkened,  his 
mental  vision  is  as  bright  and  keen  as  ever,  and  if  the  voice  may  have 
lost  some  of  its  old-time  strength  and  fire,  certainly  his  power  of  ex- 
pression and  of  acute  analysis,  his  logical  force  and  ability  to  argue  his 
thesis  to  an  incontrovertible  conclusion,  abide  with  him  as  in  the  days 
of  yore.  It  is  an  intellectual  delight,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  severe 
exercise  of  one's  reasoning  faculties  to  follow  him  as  with  steady  force 
and  in  absolute  confidence,  he  states  the  false  postulate  of  his  opponents, 
and  then  proceeds  to  annihilate  them  by  pricking  their  fallacies  and 
unmasking  the  hollowness  of  their  claims."  " 

From  Davidson  he  went  to  Columbia  Seminary  after  a  short 
interval,  on  the  invitation  of  the  faculty,  and  there  delivered 
again  this  course  of  lectures,  having  for  its  chief  thesis,  "Christ 
the  Substitute  and  Sacrifice  for  Imputed  Guilt."  The  course 
was  received  at  Columbia  with  huge  and  generous  appreciation, 
creditable  alike  to  the  lecturer  and  his  auditors.  They  found 
"exquisite  pleasure,"  too,  in  having  Dr.  Dabney  in  their  homes. 
"He  was  uniformly  fond  of  the  society  of  his  friends.  His  in- 
terest in  life  had  not  in  the  least  abated.  The  interest,  accuracy 
and  minuteness  of  his  information  gave  a  charm  to  his  conver- 
sation." ^^ 

^'' Dr.  J.  B.  Shearer,  in  the  Central  Presbyterian,  October  20,  1897. 
"  Dr.  W.  T.  Hall,  in  the  Central  Presbyterian,  November  17,  1897. 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  521 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  course  in  Columbia,  the  Faculty 
of  the  Seminary  adopted  the  following  minute,  submitted  by 
Dr.  W.  T.  Hall,  Professor  of  Theology : 

"The  Facuhy  would  put  on  record  the  interesting  fact  that  our  Semi- 
nary has  recently  been  honored  by  the  presence  of  the  Rev.  Robert  L. 
Dabney,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.  Beginning  on  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  this 
month  he  discussed,  in  a  series  of  seven  lectures,  before  the  Faculty  and 
students  and  citizens  of  Columbia,  'Christ  Our  Substitute  and  Sacrifice 
for  Imputed  Guilt.'  The  discussions  were  characterized  by  Dr.  Dabney's 
well-known  clearness  of  statement,  force  of  reasoning,  energy  of  expres- 
sion and  aptness  of  illustration.  As  a  result,  our  conceptions  of  funda- 
mental religious  truths  have  become  clearer  and  our  faith  in  them  has 
been  confirmed.  We  recognize  gratefully  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in 
sending  his  servant  among  us ;  and  we  also  cherish  a  deep  sense  of  obli- 
gation to  Dr.  Dabney  for  his  able  and  faithful  defence  of  the  truth."  " 

During  this  autumn  he  had  found  time  to  write  a  brief,  but 
instructive,  historical  and  scriptural  discussion  of  "The  Obla- 
tion," which  came  out  in  the  Christian  Observer  of  November 
24,  1897. 

From  Columbia  he  and  Mrs.  Dabney  made  their  way  back, 
by  degrees,  to  Victoria,  having  stopped  for  a  while  in  the  latter 
part  of  November  and  first  of  December  at  Auburn,  Ala., 
where  they  visited  the  family  of  his  brother-in-law.  Colonel 
Alexander  Bondurant.  At  Victoria  they  began  their  life  in 
their  owm  cottage  once  more,  not  a  life  of  idleness,  but  of  read- 
ing, thinking,  writing,  and  other  work.  He  had  water  fixtures 
put  into  his  newly  built  cottage.  He  had  Uncle  Warner 
measure  off  the  yard,  and  told  him  wdiere  the  young  trees  were 
to  be  set ;  and  had  much  to  say  about  making  Mrs.  Dabney 
comfortable.  The  last  piece  of  literary  work  he  did  was  the 
preparation  of  a  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  his  teacher,  colleague 
and  friend.  Dr.  Francis  S.  Sampson.  He  did  this  on  Monday, 
the  3rd  day  of  January,  1896.  On  the  evening  of  that  day  he 
was  seized  with  an  acute  illness.  After  four  hours,  at  11  p.  m., 
the  heart  and  brain,  that  had  moved  for  three-quarters  of  a  cen- 
tury with  such  extraordinary  momentum,  ceased  to  act.  Robert 
Lewis  Dabney  was  dead. 

During  these  years,  subsequent  to  June,  1894,  he  had  seen 
the  fourth  volume  of  his  Discussions  brought  into  print ;  and 
had  in  these  three  years  prepared  at  least  two  of  the  discus- 

"  See  Faculty  Boo!:,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  39-40. 


522        Life  and  Letters  of  R.obert  Lewis  Dabney. 

sions  brought  out  in  that  volume,  viz. :  "The  Influence  of  False 
Philosophies  Upon  Character  and  Conduct,"  "The  True  Pur- 
pose of  the  Civil  War."  These  are  not  long  papers,  but  they 
bear  the  marks  of  Dr.  Dabney's  mental  power  and  vigor. 

During  these  three  years  he  had  seen  his  Practical  Philosophy 
published ;  a  book,  which  owing  to  the  "energy  of  its  diction," 
"the  clearness  of  its  style,"  the  "vividness  imparted  by  constant 
and  live  illustrations,"  proved  as  "fascinating  as  a  romance." 
So  he  read  in  the  Southwestern  Presbyterian.  He  had,  also, 
worked  up  the  lectures  delivered  at  Davidson  College  and  Co- 
lumbia Seminary  in  form  for  publication,  although  they  were 
not  actually  published  until  about  six  months  after  his  death, 
under  the  title  of  Christ  Our  Penal  Substitute.  This  little  book 
contains  a  masterly  presentation  *of  the  Old  School  Presbyte- 
rian view  of  the  atonement. 

In  addition  he  had  published,  in  1895,  in  the  Presbyterian 
Quarterly,  a  very  able  paper  under  the  caption  of  "Idealistic 
Monism,"  which  was  much  more  than  a  justification  of  him- 
self for  not  being  a  philosopher  of  that  school.  If  any  of  those 
in  control  of  the  University  of  Texas  in  1894,  disapproved  of 
him  as  not  being  a  monist,  they  had,  once  more,  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  why  he  was  not  a  monist.  He  stalks  about 
amongst  the  great  representatives  of  this  school  and  remorse- 
lessly shivers  their  idols,  and  shows  why  he  does  it :  because 
they  are  falsehoods,  and  because  they  are  followed  by  evil  con- 
sequences. He  appears,  also,  in  excellent  book  notices  in  the 
same  periodical,  in  the  years  1896  and  1897,  and  in  the  latter 
year  comes  out  with  a  rather  short,  but  pregnant,  paper  on  the 
"Decline  of  Ministerial  Scholarship."  Besides  all  these,  he  pre- 
pared "The  Christology  of  the  Angels."  in  stately  blank  verse. 
The  poem  is  didactic,  gives  an  account  of  the  creation  of  the 
world,  of  the  fall  of  Satan  and  the  blighting  influence  of  sin, 
of  the  earth's  reduction  to  chaos,  and  remoulding,  of  the  crea- 
tion and  fall  of  man,  and  of  his  redemption.  It  is  a  lofty  piece 
of  work,  and  evinces  genius  of  a  noble  order.  The  style  and 
tone  are  Miltonic,  but  the  imagery  is  highly  original.  The 
poem  is  a  proof  that  had  Dr.  Dabney  chosen  to  give  himself  to 
distinctly  literary  effort,  he  could  have  made  for  himself  a 
master's  place  in  literature.  The  theology  of  the  angels,  even 
through  blank  verse,  appears  to  be  soundly  Calvinistic.  Those 
words  from  the  Apologia  are  worth  reading  for  their  tender 
beauty : 


Last  Strokes  on  his  Life's  Work.  523 

"Nor  think  it  strange,  ye  kindly  ministers, 
If  to  these  sightless  balls,  seeking  in  vain 
The  sunlight  beam,  some  slender  ray  from  heaven, 
Unseen  before  amid  the  garish  light. 
Shall  pierce,  in  mercy  sent,  or  if  the  soul, 
Left  blank  of  images  by  sense  impressed, 
Shall  see  by  faith  and  vision  spiritual. 
The  heavenly  city  and  the  golden  streets, 
Where  ye  your  worship  pay." 

Letters  speak  of  ?till  other  works  planned  in  these  last  years. 
Fragments  show  some  undertakings  incomplete. 

One  writing  of  the  period  was  intended  specially  for  a  very 
small  body  of  readers,  but  it  will  be  judged  worthy  of  a  place 
here  by  all  who  would  know  what  Dr.  Dabney  counted  the  one 
great  thing  in  life : 

"To  My  Dear  Sons  and  Daughters  and  their  Children  : 

"I  desire  before  I  leave  the  world,  as  my  best  legacy  to  my  familj', 
my  serious,  solemn  advice,  to  make  choice  of  God  for  their  God.  He 
has  been  my  father's  God,  and  the  God  of  your  mother's  predecessors. 
I  solemnly  charge  you  to  make  it  your  first  care  to  seek  after  peace 
with  God,  and  being  reconciled,  to  make  it  your  study  to  please  God  in 
all  tilings. 

"Wait  diligently  upon  the  means  of  grace,  attending  the  worship  of 
God  in  his  house ;  study  his  Word,  after  secret  prayer,  especially  family 
and  the  public  ordinances. 

"Beware  of  the  mere  form  of  these  duties ;  but  cry  to  the  Lord  for 
communion  with  him,  so  that  you  may  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in 
truth. 

"Follow  God  fully,  without  turning  aside.  I  have  often  devoted  ill 
of  you  to  God,  and  there  is  nothing  I  have  so  much  at  heart  as  this: 
that  you  may  indeed  be  the  Lord's ;  and  if  j-ou  turn  aside  from  this 
way,  I  will  have  this  as  a  witness  against  you  in  the  day  of  the  Lord. 

"Be  good  to  your  mother,  as  you  would  have  God's  blessing.  She 
will  need  your  comfort.  Beware  of  religion  that  is  most  taken  up  with 
public  matters. 

"The  sum  of  the  gospel  is  Christ  crucified.  I  commit  my  body  to 
the  dust,  hoping  and  expecting  the  spirit  will  in  due  time  quicken  my 
mortal  body.  My  spirit  I  commit  to  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  to  him  I 
have  entrusted  it  long  ago. 

"Now,  my  dear  boys,  this  is  my  last  legacy,  that  we  all  meet  where 
there  is  no  more  death,  sorrow  nor  sin. 

"Your  devoted  father,  R.  L.  D.vbney. 

"Be  kindly  affectionate  one  to  another." 
"Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DEATH,  BURIAL,  EULOGIES  AND  TRIBUTES. 

DR.  and  Mrs.  Dabney  had  returned,  as  has  been  shown,  to 
Victoria,  in  the  early  part  of  December,  1897.  During 
that  month  he  had  not  been  very  well ;  but  was  able  to  go  about 
his  premises ;  and,  as  if  anticipating  his  death,  had  been  active 
in  fitting  his  place  more  to  suit  Mrs.  Dabney's  convenience. 
On  Sunday,  the  2nd  of  January,  he  had  proposed  to  attend 
church,  but  suffered  himself  to  be  dissuaded,  as  the  day  was 
raw  and  chilly.  On  Monday,  January  3rd,  he  arose,  dressed 
and  went  to  breakfast.  After  family  worship  he  dictated  for 
the  Union  Seminary  Maga::inc  a  short  biographical  sketch  of 
the  Rev.  Professor  Francis  S.  Sampson,  D.  D.,  who  had  been 
his  most  honored  and  helpful  teacher  while  a  student  in  Union 
Seminary,  later  a  colleague  in  the  faculty  of  the  same  institu- 
tion, and  whose  biography  he  had  published.  He  spent  the  rest 
of  the  day  in  arranging  some  of  his  papers.  He  was  suffering 
somewhat,  but  no  uneasiness  was  felt  by  his  family  until  about 
9  o'clock  p.  M.  The  end  was  much  nearer  than  they  thought 
even  then.  He  suffered  sharp  pain  in  the  chest.  The  minutes 
ticked  away.  He  showed  less  of  restlessness.  When  Mrs. 
Dabney  asked  him  whether  he  felt  easier,  he  said,  "A  little 
easier;  but  the  blessed  rest  is  here."  The  mighty  worker  was 
weary  of  pain.  Like  his  great  military  chief  he  yearned  for 
rest  from  it.  He  had  long  prayed  that  when  the  release  should 
come,  it  might  come  quickly;  and  it  came  as  he  had  prayed. 
At  ten  minutes  before  11  p.  m.  of  that  third  day  of  January  he 
was  dead. 

He  had  commanded  his  sons  to  bury  his  body  in  the  little 
cemetery  belonging  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  at 
Hampden-Sidney,  Virginia.  He  had  fought  with  tongue  and 
pen  for  all  the  South,  but  specially  for  Virginia,  his  mother, 
who  had  made  him  peer  of  her  noblest,  most  heroic,  sons.  He 
loved  no  other  soil  as  hers.  He  loved  old  Hampden-Sidney, 
where  he  had  poured  himself  out  in  manhood's  prime,  and 
turned  multitudinous  eyes  upon  the  place  because  he  had  his 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  525 

workshop  there.  He  loved  the  homely  little  cemetery  because 
there  lay  the  dust  of  John  Holt  Rice,  and  George  Baxter, 
and  Samuel  L.  Graham,  and  Samuel  B.  Wilson,  and  James 
Fair  Latimer,  and  Benjamin  Smith,  and  Thomas  E.  Peck. 
He  loved  a  particular  spot  in  that  cemetery  because  his  great 
heart  had  broken  once,  twice,  thrice  at  a  child's  grave.  He 
would  have  his  body  sleep  beside  the  bodies  of  his  three 
little  sons  till  the  resurrection  morning.  So  to  Hampden- 
Sidney  came  his  body,  attended  by  his  stalwart,  dutiful  sons. 
It  reached  Farmville  on  Friday  morning  of  the  7th  of  Jan- 
uary. For  several  days  a  gloom  had  pervaded  the  whole 
village,  and  especially  the  Faculty  and  students  of  the  Semi- 
nary. They  thought  no  honor  too  great  to  be  paid  to  one 
who  had  done  such  service  to  his  country,  his  church,  and  to 
that  institution.  A  delegation  of  the  students  met  the  funeral 
cortege  at  Farmville  and  attended  it  to  Hampden-Sidney.  As 
the  body  lay  in  state  at  the  church  from  eight  until  three  o'clock, 
it  was  guarded  by  relays  of  students,  each  relay  acting  one 
hour. 

The  funeral  service  was  in  the  College  Church,  at  3  p.  m., 
Friday.  A  procession  of  professors  and  students  of  Union  The- 
ological Seminary  and  Hampden-Sidney  College  came  with 
solemn  tread  and  occupied  a  considerable  portion  of  the  build- 
ing, a  large  congregation  filling  up  the  rest. 

Amongst  those  from  a  distance  to  attend  these  last  rites  was 
the  venerable  Dr.  Clement  R.  Vaughan,  of  Roanoke,  for  a  time 
a  successor  of  Dr.  Dabney  in  the  chair  of  Theology  in  the  Semi- 
nary they  both  loved  and  so  greatly  honored.  He  had  come  to 
see  what  was  left  of  his  classmate,  his  life-long,  admiring  and 
admired  friend,  his  "father-brother,"  laid  away.  He  and  one 
or  two  other  peculiarly  close  friends  appeared  seated  with  the 
family  at  the  funeral  services. 

Dr.  Givens  B.  Strickler  had  been  asked  to  serve  as  ISIaster 
of  the  funeral  services,  and,  also,  to  make  an  address  appro- 
priate to  the  occasion.    He  announced  the  hymn — 

"Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me!'" 

and  read  a  selection  of  appropriate  Scriptures.  The  Rev.  Pro- 
fessor C.  C.  Hersman,  D.  D..  at  his  request,  led  the  congrega- 
tion in  prayer.  Dr.  Strickler  then  delivered  the  following 
eulogy  on  his  honored  teacher : 


526        Life  axd  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

"  "A  prince  and  a  great  man  has  fallen  in  Israel.'  On  such  occasions 
it  is  proper  to  take  account  of  our  loss,  that  we  may  rightly  estimate 
what  the  Lord  gave,  and  what  the  Lord  has  taken  away.  That  our  de- 
parted friend  and  brother  was,  indeed,  a  prince  and  a  great  man  in 
Israel — made  so  by  God's  gifts  of  nature  and  grace — all  would  agree. 
That  he  was  a  great  teacher,  scores  and  hundreds  of  our  ministers,  who 
have  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  his  instruction,  have  always  cordially 
testified.  That  he  was  a  great  theologian,  his  numerous  works,  left  as 
an  invaluable  heritage  to  the  church,  make  abundantly  evident.  That 
he  was  a  great  philosopher,  his  frequent  and  important  contributions  to 
the  philosophical  discussions  of  the  last  thirty  years  in  our  country 
cleary  demonstrate.  That  he  was  a  great  preacher  many  present  can 
bear  witness  from  their  own  delightful  experience,  as  for  years  they  sat 
under  his  pulpit  ministrations.  That  as  the  result  of  thirty  years'  teach- 
ing in  the  Seminary,  and  of  the  contributions  he  has  made  to  our  re- 
ligious and  ethical  and  theological  literature,  he  has  left  a  deeper  im- 
pression for  good  on  our  Southern  ministry  and  Southern  Church  than 
any  other  man  who  has  ever  been  connected  with  our  denomination, 
few,  I  suppose,  would  question.  That  he  was  a  great  man  in  the  ex- 
cellence of  his  character,  in  conscientiousness,  in  integrity,  in  courage, 
in  his  supreme  devotion  to  truth  and  to  duty,  and  in  zeal  for  the  church 
and  for  God,  none  can  doubt.  That  he  was  one  of  the  most  valuable 
gifts  God  has  ever  made  to  our  church  and  our  country  all  would  admit. 
While,  therefore,  we  to-day  mourn  over  our  loss  (for  God  would  not 
have  us  so  lightly  esteem  so  great  a  gift  as  not  to  be  profoundly  affected 
when  it  was  withdrawn),  we  should  mingle  with  our  lamentations  the 
most  sincere  thanksgiving  to  God  that  he  ever  made  us  so  great  a  gift ; 
that  he  preserved  it  to  us  so  long,  and  that  now  our  brother,  after  faith- 
fully serving  his  generation  until  vital  forces  failed  under  the  growing 
infirmities  of  advancing  years,  has  gently  fallen  on  sleep,  and  been 
received  to  his  reward,  and  that  those  eyes,  so  long  closed  to  the  beauties 
of  this  world  and  to  the  faces  and  forms  of  earth  by  love  and  friendship, 
have  been  opened  to  the  glories  of  the  heavenly  kingdom,  and  to  behold 
the  loved  ones  gone  before,  and  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the 
firstborn,  and  to  see  the  King  in  his  beauty.  Let  us,  then,  be  profoundly 
grateful,  while  we  are,  at  the  same  time,  tenderly  sorrowful. 

"But  it  is  not  my  purpose  even  to  attempt  to  give  you  an  adequate 
conception  of  Dr.  Dabney's  life  and  character.  I  leave  that  for  the  more 
competent  brethren,  who  will  presentlj^  address  you,  I  only  wished,  in 
introducing  this  part  of  the  service,  to  avail  myself  of  the  privilege  and 
opportunity  of  laying  a  little  flower  upon  the  bier  of  him  to  whom  I  am 
more  indebted  than  to  any  other  man,  living  or  dead." 

Having-  thus  spoken,  Dr.  Strickler  introrluced  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Henry  M.  White,  of  Winchester,  \a..  Dr.  White  spoke  of 
Dr.  Dabnev's  e:enerositv  in  deahno-  with  his  fellow-men.     In 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  527 

particular  he  emphasized  the  fact  that,  though  a  controver- 
sialist all  his  life,  Dr.  Dabney  never  indulged  in  personalities, 
and  never  knowingly  offended  either  a  colleague  or  a  brother 
minister  during  the  whole  of  his  long  life.  He  dwelt  eloquently 
on  the  Christian  and  the  gentlemanly  aspect  of  Dr.  Dabney's 
life. 

The  last  speaker  was  Dr.  ]\Ioses  D.  Hoge.  Dr.  Hoge  com- 
menced by  saying  that  it  was  not  his  purpose  to  attempt  any 
portraiture  of  Dr.  Dabney,  or  even  an  outline  of  the  work  he 
had  undertaken  and  accomplished  in  the  world,  further  than  to 
remark — 

"that  a  man  was  ordinarily  regarded  as  having  fulfilled  the  great  end  of 
life  when  he  had  been  successful  in  any  one  department  of  useful  labor, 
but  that  it  had  been  the  privilege  of  the  man  whose  loss  we  mourn 
to-day  to  be  distinguished,  first,  as  an  able  and  impressive  expounder 
of  the  Word  in  the  pulpit ;  second,  as  one  of  the  strongest  writers  on 
philosophic,  secular  and  theological  themes;  and,  third,  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  of  teachers  in  a  Seminary  devoted  to  the  training 
of  young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry ;  that  it  was  his  rare  lot  not  only 
to  win  distinction  in  each,  but  to  combine  and  nobly  employ  all  three 
of    these    great    instrumentalities    for    wide    and    permanent    useful- 


ness 


"The  loss  of  such  a  man  makes  a  great  void  in  the  world,  and  all 
who  appreciated  his  worth  bemoan  the  bereavement  and  say,  'How  is 
the  strong  staff  broken  and  the  beautiful  rod.' 

"The  Bible  contains  a  record  of  the  regnant  men  of  the  race— the 
kingly  men  of  the  world— not  because  of  hereditary  rank  and  power, 
but  because  of  commanding  influence  through  services  rendered  by 
which  the  intellectual  and  moral  progress  of  mankind  has  been  ad- 
vanced. 

"But  outside  of  that  inspired  register,  and  continually  adding  to  its 
length  and  numbers,  are  the  men  of  distinguished  influence,  who  in  the 
providence  of  God  are  raised  up  from  age  to  age.  Some  are  endowed 
with  such  genius,  and  their  natural  capacities  have  been  so  strengthened 
and  illumined  by  vast  and  varied  learning,  that  they  are  compelled 
to  occupy  conspicuous  positions.  Their  own  modesty  might  induce  them 
to  seek  private  stations,  but  those  who  appreciate  their  worth  and  power 
will  not  consent,  and  insist  that  they  shall  not  be  allowed  to  abandon 
the  high  positions  to  which  they  have  been  elevated. 

"Such  men  are  the  acknowledged  leaders  of  the  State;  they  are 
the  lights  and  land-marks  in  the  church;  they  are  the  grand  pillars 
in  the  temple  which  God  is  rearing  in  the  world  to  the  glory  of  his  grace. 
Among  the  gifts  of  God  are  the  gifts  of  such  men  to  the  church  and 
to  the°world;  for  they  are  the  instruments  by  which  society  is  moulded, 
and  the  moral  and  spiritual  influence  of  mankind  strengthened  and  ad- 


528        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

vanced  from  age  to  age.  When  such  men  are  snatched  away  we  attempt 
to  console  ourselves  by  saying,  'The  workmen  die,  but  the  work  goes  on.' 
It  does  go  on  in  the  sense  that  God  cannot  be  thwarted  in  his  purposes ; 
that  he  is  never  at  a  loss  for  instruments  to  carry  them  on  to  completion. 
Moses  and  Aaron  may  drop  out  of  the  ranks  on  that  magnificent  march 
of  the  tribes  to  the  Land  of  Promise,  but  Joshua  is  there  at  the  river 
to  conduct  them  on  and  to  establish  them  in  their  inheritance.  Then 
Samuel  comes  to  lay  the  foundation  of  justice  and  order;  then  David, 
to  give  them  an  inspired  liturgy  and  to  frame  a  wise  constitution  of 
religious  worship.  One  by  one  the  lights  in  the  golden  candlestick  are 
extinguished,  but  the  temple  still  glows  with  the  radiance  of  the  glory 
of  the  Lord.  The  church  still  lifts  up  its  voice,  though  tremulous  and 
full  of  tears,  and  cries,  'Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place  in  all 
generations,'  and  is  measurably  comforted.  But  there  is  another  sense 
in  which  it  is  true  that  when  the  workman  dies  the  work  does  not  go 
on  as  successfully  and  steadily  as  before.  Indeed,  the  death  of  a  single 
man  often  arrests  that  progress  temporarily,  and  cripples,  though  it 
does  not  stop,  the  work. 

"During  the  last  decade  great  has  been  the  loss  of  the  church  of 
eminent  men.  To  say  nothing  of  our  own  continent,  I  may  look  abroad 
and  remark  the  blanks  that  have  been  made  by  the  removal  of  such 
men  as  Christlieb,  of  Bohn;  and  Bersier,  of  Paris;  Liddon,  of  England, 
and  Spurgeon — of  what  country  shall  we  call  him?  Let  us  say  Spur- 
geon,  of  Christendom,  for  all  claim  him  as  their  own. 

"The  places  of  such  leaders  may  be  occupied  without  being  filled. 
And  where  are  the  champions  who  are  ready  to  take  up  the  weapons 
fallen  from  their  hands  and  cheer  on  the  church  to  renewed  victories? 
We  all  know  how  the  loss  of  one  great  statesman  has  sometimes  de- 
feated measures  by  which  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  a  nation  might 
have  been  promoted  for  generations.  And  who  does  not  know  that 
in  a  great  crisis  in  national  history,  the  death  of  a  single  distinguished 
leader  has  made  the  independence  of  that  people  impossible  for  all  time? 
So,  in  the  church,  the  work  goes  on  haltingly,  wearily,  and  is  often 
temporarily  crushed. 

"It  was  so  when  the  reformations  which  attempted  to  spring  up  often 
before  Luther  was  born  were  put  down,  such  as  that  of  Arnold  of 
Brescia,  and  that  of  Savonarola,  ai'd  that  of  John  Huss.  It  was  so 
when  Coligny  and  Conde  fell.  It  was  so  when  other  reformers  were 
put  down ;  their  fall  was  the  signal  of  the  decline  of  the  great  work 
they  undertook. 

"Among  the  lessons  to  be  learned  from  the  bereavements  that  make 
the  world  poorer  and  the  church  emptier  is  this:  The  need  of  earnest 
prayer  to  God  that  he  would  raise  up  and  qualify  men  who  can  take  the 
places  of  the  departed  and  efficiently  hasten  the  accomplishment  of  his 
great  purpose  of  mercy  and  grace,  by  which  this  revolted  world  is  to 
be  brought  back  to  its  rightful  allegiance — men  who,  if  not  inspired  men. 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  529 

like  Moses  and  Isaiah,  or  like  David,  who  composed  the  Psalms,  which 
animated  the  sacramental  army  on  its  march  to  final  victory;  or  like 
Paul,  who  girdled  the  earth  with  a  zone  of  light  and  glory,  and  wrote 
the  epistles,  which  have  shaped  the  theological  thought  of  the  world ; 
at  least,  like  their  successors,  who,  though  uninspired,  yet  possessed  the 
consecrated  genius  and  learning  to  meet  the  great  exigencies  which  are 
always  arising  in  the  history  of  the  church.  Who  can  say  that  such 
men  are  not  needed  now  to  combat  great  errors,  and  arrest  the  tide  of 
secularism,  false  philanthropy,  and  assaults  upon  the  inspiration  of  the 
Scriptures,  which  prevail  even  in  the  lands  where  Christianity  is  sup- 
posed to  exist  in  its  purest  form?  Let  us  beseech  fhe  Great  Head  of 
the  church  to  bless  it  with  more  power  in  the  pulpit,  power  with  the 
pen,  power  in  the  professor's  chair,  the  power  of  sanctified  scholarship, 
the  power  of  consecrated  lives  in  every  department  of  church  work  and 
Christian  enterprise.  The  scholar  is  the  product  of  slow  growth,  of 
patient  toil,  and  a  rare  product,  even  after  the  most  protracted  toil. 
Every  day  we  have  new  illustrations  of  the  difficulty  of  finding  men 
qualified  for  the  high  positions  v.'hich  death  makes  vacant  by  the 
removal  of  the  great  and  good,  although  there  never  was  a  time,  per- 
haps, when  the  church  was  fuller  of  men  of  average  ability. 

"Our  Southern  Church  has  been  dignified  and  adorned  by  an  illus- 
trious triumvirate.  Born  amidst  the  throes  of  the  greatest  revolution 
in  modern  history,  it  needed  the  wisdom  and  experience  of  men  quali- 
fied by  nature  and  grace  for  the  responsible  task  of  giving  to  it  sym- 
metry and  scriptural  form,  of  conserving  the  principles  embodied  in 
the  Westminster  Standards,  and  of  grafting  upon  them  whatever  might 
give  these  honored  truths  new  applications  and  new  efficiency.  No 
church  on  this  continent  has  been  more  favored  of  Heaven  than  our 
own,  in  having  at  its  very  organization  three  such  men  as  Thornwell, 
Palmer,  and  Dabney,  each  fitted,  by  splendid  genius  and  profound 
scholarship— alike  consecrated  to  the  noblest  uses— to  give  direction  to 
its  future  life,  and  to  enrich  it  for  all  time  by  their  published  contri- 
butions to  theological  science. 

"Two  of  this  illustrious  triumvirate  have  been  called  to  a  higher 
service.  One  still  remains,  every  succeeding  year  to  be  crowned  by 
fresh   benedictions. 

"In  deploring  such  a  loss  as  the  one  which  makes  us  mourners  this 
afternoon,  we  will  not  forget  the  most  blessed  of  all  consolations- 
heaven  gains  what  we  lose,  and  becomes  richer  and  more  attractive  to 
us.  True,  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof,  but  our  departed  ones  stand 
disclosed  in  that  light,  and  reflect  it  down  to  us.  We  love  them  all  the 
more  because  they  shine  in  the  beauty  of  their  Lord  and  ours.  We 
remember  our  brother,  beloved  now  in  the  rest  and  peace  and  blessed- 
ness of  the  true  home.  We  remember  those  whom  he  has  left  behind 
for  a  while,  and  it  comforts  us  to  know  that  there  is  one  hand  gentle 
enough  to  wipe  away  the  tears  of  bereavement.  One  who  is  the  husband 

34 


530        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

of  the  widow  and  the  father  of  the  fatherless,  One  who  is  able  to 
sanctify  to  us  our  deepest  distress,  and  to  bring  us  all  by  ways  of  his 
own  choosing  to  the  end  of  life's  journey,  and  through  the  bright  gate 
of  paradise  into  the  land  of  eternal  light  and  glory." 


At  the  conclusion  of  Dr.  Hoge's  address,  the  hymn 
"  Asleep  in  Jesus,  blessed  sleep," 

was  sung,  and  the  funeral  procession  wended  its  way  to  the 
little  cemetery  of  Union  Theological  Seminary.  So  they  laid 
away  the  body  of  Robert  L.  Dabney  amongst  the  bodies  of  a 
goodly  number  of  sainted  and  able  men,  and  beside  the  dust  of 
his  three  little  boys — 


"  Far  off  from  busy  toil  of  city  life. 

Nor  in  the  gloom  of  vast  cathedral  wall. 
In  quiet  church-yard,  there  they  laid  him  down, 
Beneath  the  stars — the  fittest  tomb  of  all. 

"  His  head  laid  softly  in  the  lap  of  earth. 
He  gently  sleeps,  a  monarch  of  mankind ; 
For  noblest  heroes  in  this  living  strife. 
Are  ever  these,  the  heroes  of  the  mind. 

"  His  mighty  soul,  clear-sighted,  soared  aloft. 

As  clouds  transcend  the  earth,  and  garnered  there 
Rich  trophies  of  great  thoughts,  a  look  beyond, 
An  insight  to  the  infinite,  born  of  prayer. 

"  For  do  not  mighty  ones  converse  with  God 

As  friend  with  friend?    They  by  his  side  recline, 
Drink  in  his  words,  gaze  on  his  perfect  face. 
And  learn  of  him,  the  source  of  light  divine. 

"  And  shall  we  mourn  a  glorious  warfare  done, 
A  race  well  run,  a  heavy  cross  laid  by? 
We  thank  thee  Lord,  for  such  a  monarch's  life, 
His  thoughts  that  live,  though  mortal  man  must  die. 

"  Death  to  his  soul  is  as  the  vessel's  port. 

Where,  tempest  toss'd,  it  gladly  hails  for  rest; 
The  soul,  long  captive,  bursts  its  prison  bonds, 
To  contemplate  the  bliss  of  spirits  blest. 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  531 

Farewell,  thou  giant  prince  in  Israel, 

Defender  of  our  faith,  to  whom  was  given, 
In  life,  a  glimpse  beyond  remotest  stars; 

Thy  faith  hath  turned  to  perfect  sight  in  heaven !"  * 


Dr.  Dabney's  death  was  widely  noted  and  lamented  by  the 
papers  and  periodicals,  religious  and  secular,  in  all  sections  of 
our  own  country.  In  Canada,  and  in  Great  Britain,  also,  it  was 
remarked  and  deplored.  Many  just  and  beautiful  tributes  w^ere 
paid  to  his  memory. 

Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer  wrote  in  the  Sontlmuestcrn  Presbyterian: 

''The  recent  death  of  Dr.  Dabney  distils  the  tear  of  sorrow  from 
many  a  suffering  heart.  He  was  truly  a  prince  in  our  Israel,  a  pillar 
of  strength  in  the  house  of  our  God.  How  we  shall  miss  him,  who 
leaned  upon  him  for  defence  in  the  great  battle  for  truth  in  this  sinful 
world  !  He  was  mentally  and  morally  constituted  a  great  polemic ;  with 
a  massive  intellect  capable  of  searching  into  the  foundations  of  truth, 
and  with  an  intellectual  as  well  as  moral  indignation  against  every  form 
of  falsehood.  We  find  in  these  natural  abilities  the  secret  of  his  strong 
convictions,  and  the  fearless  utterance  of  them  which  distinguished  him 
through  life.  A  great  writer  of  our  own  times  has  said  that  'love  of 
truth  is  honesty  of  reason,  as  love  of  virtue  is  honesty  of  heart.'  It  was 
this  twofold  honesty  that  made  Dr.  Dabney  the  Christian  warrior  that 
he  was.  Loving  truth  for  herself,  he  sought  her  as  one  might  seek  t3 
win  his  bride;  and  so  his  convictions  went  down  into  the  substance  of 
his  whole  being.  His  holy  reverence  for  truth  wrought  in  him  a  holy 
intolerance  for  error;  and  he  fought  for  the  one,  and  against  the  other, 
with  a  passionate  earnestness  which  many  mistook  for  bitterness  of 
spirit. 

"Yet  with  these  sturdy  qualities  were  united  the  gentler  traits  which, 
oftener  than  is  generally  supposed,  are  blended  in  the  character  of  those 
who  are  truly  great.  All  who  were  admitted  into  the  repose  of  Dr. 
Dabney's  inner  life  recognized  those  amiable  virtues  which  endeared 
him  to  his  pupils  and  to  friends  of  every  degree.  The  sweet  simplicity 
of  his  character,  and  the  genuine  modesty  which  veiled  while  it  did 
not  conceal  his  greatness,  made  it  easy  for  others  to  rejoice  in  his  pre- 
eminence without  the  infusion  of  jealousy.  It  is  only  the  loftier  natures, 
which  look  upon  their  own  achievements  as  being  such,  that  others 
might  have  wrought  as  well."  ^ 

'  These  fine  lines  were  written  on  The  Burial  of  Dr.  Dabney,  by 
P.  Josephine  Baker,  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  published  in  the  Central  Pres- 
byterian, January  13,  1898. 

^  Southiijestern  Presbyterian,  January  20,  1898. 


532        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

The  Christian  Observer,  of  January  12,  1898,  says: 

"Dr.  Dabney  has  been  a  man  of  great  and  distinguished  power.  His 
activity  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  was  remarkable.  .  .  .  His 
powers  of  penetration  were  yet  more  remarkable.  .  .  .  Dr.  Dabney's 
penetrative  power  enabled  him  to  look  further  into  the  future  than  other 
men.  Often,  when  we  heard  him  telling  how  far  the  logical  outcome 
of  present  facts  and  events  would  extend,  we  felt  like  saying,  God  forbid. 
But  he  has  lived  to  see  his  prophecies  fulfilled  in  many  respects.  .  .  . 
More  than  thirty  years  ago,  Dr.  Dabney  foresaw  the  insinuation  of 
infidel  errors  into  the  theological  seminaries  of  the  land — such  errors 
as  evolution  and  the  destructive  criticism  of  the  Bible.  Well  do  we 
remember  his  reiterated  prayer  that  God  would  preserve  the  theological 
seminaries  of  his  church  from  becoming  fountain  heads  of  error.  We 
wondered  then  at  his  prayer;  we  do  not  wonder  now\" 

The  Rev.  S.  Taylor  Martin  wrote,  in  the  Southwestern  Pres- 
byterian: 

"The  Commonwealth  and  the  nation  has  sustained  an  irreparable 
loss  in  the  withdrawal  of  a  man  whose  philosophic  mind,  enriched  by 
the  history  of  nations,  governments  and  constitutions,  recognized  the 
only  statesmanship  that  can  secure  perpetuity  and  prosperity  and  peace, 
the  statesmanship  that  is  founded  on  truth  and  righteousness.  The 
rapidly  vanishing  remnant  of  the  old  Confedracy  mourns  the  loss  of  one 
of  the  ablest  defenders  of  a  cause  as  true  and  principles  as  just  as  any 
for  which  a  sword  was  ever  drawn  or  the  sacrifice  of  human  life  ever 
made.  The  church  of  God,  of  all  denominations,  has  lost  the  labors  of 
a  mighty  champion,  who  with  unswerving  fidelity  advanced  and  defended 
these  fundamental  truths,  without  which  there  could  be  no  true  church, 
no  religion,  no  gospel  of  salvation,  no  glad  tidings,  no  hope  for  lost  and 
ruined  man.  All  through  the  ranks  of  God's  servants  in  the  ministry 
there  is  a  painful  sense  of  loss  of  a  faithful  comrade  and  fellow-laborer, 
of  a  revered  father  in  Israel.  In  many  a  quiet  study  in  the  manses  of 
the  Southern  Church,  as  God's  servants  ponder  their  work  and  its  diffi- 
culties and  obstacles,  as  they  look  out  upon  the  hosts  of  the  enemy  and 
see  the  danger  to  the  flock,  there  is  a  feeling  of  overwhelming  loss,  of 
almost  helpless  dismay,  and  of  the  keenest  personal  bereavement,  as 
they  realize  that  their  revered  instructor,  the  faithful  guide,  the  sympa- 
thizing friend,  is  no  more;  but  there  is  mingled  with  their  grief  pro- 
found gratitude  for  the  privilege  of  having  enjoyed  the  instructions,  the 
fellowship,  the  friendship  of  such  a  man. 

"The  versatility  of  Dr.  Dabney's  genius  was  one  of  his  most  striking 
characteristics.  Had  he  occupied  Calvin's  position,  he  might  have  done 
Calvin's  work.  Had  he  been  substituted  for  John  Knox,  he  could  have 
performed  the  part  of  Knox.  If  during  the  war,  instead  of  being  on 
the  stafif,  he  had  been  in  the  line  and  a  leader  of  men,  we  know  of  no 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  535 

man  who,  in  our  humble  judgment,  would  have  so  nearly  approximated 
the  renowned  career  of  Stonewall  Jackson. 

"His  range  of  study  was  broad  and  his  scholarship  accurate;  his 
discussions  were  characterized  by  absolute  candor  and  frankness.  There 
was  no  attempt  to  obscure  the  strong  points  of  his  adversary,  nor 
was  there  any  evasion  of  the  objections  to  his  own  position.  His  mod- 
esty added  a  charm  to  his  greatness.  His  pupils  were  his  brethren;  he 
seemed  to  ignore  the  difference  between  the  planes  on  which  his  students 
and  their  teacher  moved.  There  was  doubtless  less  need  for  formality 
with  the  half  dozen  of  us  that  constituted  the  post-bellum  class.  Cer- 
tain is  It  when  a  student  was  reciting  that  the  class-room  was  the  arena 
in  which  was  exhibited  a  free  fight.  It  was  'give  and  take' ;  the  student 
had  to  take,  and  he  was  at  liberty  to  give  with  all  his  force.  The  Pro- 
fessor often  played  the  roll  of  the  objector.  Probably  the  mental  founda- 
tion for  his  excellence  in  every  department  of  human  activity  was  his 
extraordinary  power  of  analysis.  In  dealing  with  the  most  intricate  and 
complex  subjects,  he  seemed  to  separate  from  it  all  its  accidentals,  and 
reveal  its  essence  in  its  perspicuous  nakedness. 

"Dr.  Dabney's  ability  as  a  profound  theologian,  his  power  as  a 
preacher,  his  extraordinary  gift  as  a  teacher,  his  accurate  analysis  and 
keen  acumen  as  a  metaphysician  are  readily  recognized,  but  there  was 
one  trait  not  observed  by  the  multitude,  but  known  by  those  in  personal 
contact  with  him :  that  was  his  gentleness.  He  abhorred  all  meanness, 
all  trickery,  all  that  was  false.  When,  with  his  native  vigor,  he  de- 
nounced these  traits,  men  would  naturally  count  him  severe.  He  lived 
in  a  period  when,  in  the  church,  men  were  willing  to  barter  away  their 
independence,  their  professed  convictions,  for  material  advantage,  or 
for  a  sentiment  of  unity  that  was  a  deceitful  form,  a  hollow  sham.  He 
lived  in  a  period  when  men  who  had  won  military  renown,  renounced 
the  cause,  the  principles  for  which  they  professed  to  fight,  took  or 
sought  office  under  the  conquerors  of  their  country,  and  supported  an 
administration  and  a  party  that  was  persecuting  a  disarmed  and  hon- 
orable people,  with  a  more  cruel  and  relentless  hatred  than  had  charac- 
terized any  period  of  open  warfare.  Dr.  Dabney's  clear  analytic  mind 
enabled  him  to  see  that  the  adoption  of  one  set  of  principles  during 
their  prosperity,  their  renunciation  in  adversity,  and  the  espousal  of 
another  set  as  much  the  contradictory  of  the  former  as  light  is  of 
darkness,  or  life  is  of  death,  was  an  impeachment  of  personal  integrity. 
Ostracism  of  such  men  was  not  due  to  difference  of  political  convictions, 
but  to  the  recognition  of  a  lack  of  principle.  He  recognized  the  fact 
that  war  was  not  only  a  calamity,  but  a  crime.  That  no  man  could 
vindicate  his  right  to  engage  in  war,  except  when  it  becomes  his  solemn 
duty  to  fight.  He  saw  clearly  that  no  matter  how  brilliant  the  achieve- 
ments of  such  men.  their  warfare  was  brigandage,  their  capture  of 
property  robbery,  their  killing  of  men  murder.  Their  proper  category 
was  that  of  deserters.     In  the  face  of  all  the  menaces  and  oppressions 


534        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

of  the  trying  period  of  destruction,  Dr.  Dabney  maintained  his  integrity. 
He  spoke  the  truth.  It  hurt.  Some  thought  him  austere  and  harsh, 
but,  with  all  his  contempt  for  truculence  and  meanness,  he  was  a  man 
of  profound  and  tender  affection.  It  is  the  memory  of  his  gentle  sym- 
pathy, his  affectionate  friendship,  that  causes  us  to  bow  in  grief,  that 
fills  our  heart  with  sorrow,  because  we  have  lost  not  only  the  revered 
instructor  and  guide,  not  only  the  faithful  friend  and  brother,  but  also 
another  tender,  loving  father." 

The  Presbyterian  Banner,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  of  January  12, 
1898,  says: 

"Several  times  we  have  heard  the  late  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander 
Hodge,  D.  D.,  say  that  he  regarded  Dr.  Dabney  as  the  best  teacher  of 
theology  in  the  United  States,  if  not  in  the  world." 

The  Philadelphia  Presbyterian,  of  January  12,  1898,  says: 

"Dr.  Dabney  was  undoubtedly  a  great  theologian — one  of  a  genera- 
tion of  men  which  seems  to  have  disappeared.  He  was  an  earnest  and 
profound  student  of  the  questions  which  emerge  in  philosophy,  and 
pass  into  theology.  He  was  a  sincere  man,  never  professing  the  belief 
of  a  truth  which  he  did  not  thoroughly  understand,  and  for  which  he 
was  not  able  to  give  an  adequate  reason.  He  was  a  strong  Calvinist, 
ready  always  in  its  defence,  and  never  afraid  always  to  avow  his  sincere 
faith  in  its  doctrines." 

The  Nezv  York  Evangelist,  in  quoting  from  and  commenting 
on  Dr.  Palmer's  tribute  to  Dr.  Dabney  (see  it  on  page  531  of 
this  book),  pronounced  him  "the  foremost  scholar  and  polemic 
of  all  the  South,"  and  said : 

"He  was  without  doubt  one  of  our  greatest  writers  and  teachers, 
thoroughly  at  home  in  the  fine  drawn  distinctions  of  scholastic  the- 
ology." 

Many  similar  notices  of  his  death  and  tributes  to  his  memory 
appeared  at  this  time.  One  characteristic  of  these  was  their 
concession  to  him  of  extraordinary  mental  power,  acuteness, 
profundity  and  vigor  of  activity,  and  equally  extraordinary 
moral  character — honesty  of  mind  and  heart ;  nor  were  the 
secular  papers  behind  the  religious  in  noting  his  death  and 
paying  tribute  to  his  memory. 

in  the  Richmond  Dispatch  of  January  5,  1898,  Dr.  ]\Ioses  D. 
Hoge  is  quoted  as  saying : 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  535. 

"He  was  the  most  versatile  and  accurate  scholar  in  the  South.  As 
a  theological  teacher  he  had  no  superior  in  the  United  States.  His 
Life  of  Stonezvall  Jackson  is  known  to  all  the  readers  of  history.  His 
published  works  on  philosophical,  secular  and  religious  subjects  make 
several  volumes,  and  will  give  him  enduring  fame." 

In  the  Richmond  Times  of  January  9,  1898,  Col.  L.  S.  Marye 
wrote : 

"Dr.  Dabney  possessed  a  mind  of  the  very  highest  order,  and  of  the 
most  far-reaching  powers.     It  is  the  opinion  of  many  sedate  and  com- 
petent judges  that  the  present  century  has  not  produced  a  more  vigor- 
ous and  penetrating  intellect,  certainly  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.    .    .    . 
"But  it  was  not  alone  for  his  great  powers  of  mind  that  his  memories 
will  be  cherished.    In  elevation  of  character,  and  in  attributes  of  heart, 
he  was  equally  to  be  admired  and  more  tenderly  to  be  loved.     His 
was  stalwart  strength  blended  with  ineffable  sweetness.    His  fit  symbol 
was  the  mighty  monarch  of  the  forest  that  towers  high  above  its  fellows, 
companionless   in   the   azure   concave,   its   imperial   crown   fanned   and 
caressed  by  the  sweet-breath  and  soft  kisses  of  that  pure  atmosphere ; 
and  as  the  fall  of  such  forest  monarchs  shakes  the  solid  earth,   and 
sends  for  countless  leagues  resounding  tumult  in  the  troubled  air,  so 
will  the  death  of  this  great  and  good  man  excite  an  all  prevailing  sense 
of  distress  and  bereavement  throughout  the  Southern  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church ;   nay,  throughout  the  bounds  of  the  South,  without 
distinction  of  sect,  for  much  of  his  life-long  labor  and  service  of  heart 
and  head  was  devoted  to  the  defence  and  vindication  of  his  beloved 
South.    But  it  is,  of  course,  in  the  ecclesiastical  denomination  in  which 
he  was  the  foremost  figure  and   acknowledged  leader  that  his   death 
will    be   most   keenly    felt    and    deeply    deplored.      These    his    peculiar 
friends  in  the  ties  of  ecclesiastical  association  feel  the  extinguishment 
of  this  great  light,  as  we  may  imagine  the  seafaring  dwellers  on  the 
coast  of   Cornwall   felt   when   the   mighty   Eddystone  light-house   was 
swept  away  by  the  angry  sea,  and  when  that  steady,  far-reaching  beacon 
went  out  in  darkness  and  dismay. 

"It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  Dr.  Dabney's  mental  powers  remained  to 
the  last  unimpaired.  There  was  no  touch  of  decadence  to  be  seen  or 
felt  in  the  working  of  the  glorious  machinery.  Although  he  had  for 
four  years  been  totally  blind,  there  was  no  abatement  of  his  intellectual 

labors.     ...  ,       •     .1         r 

"When  a  man  like  this  is  stricken  down,  it  seems  that  in  the  eclipse 
and  extinction  of  such  powers  and  such  erudition  an  irreparable  loss 
has  been  suffered;  and  in  a  certain  sense  so  it  is;  and  yet  m  the 
benign  arrangement  of  Providence,  such  men  prepare  others  to  take 
their  places,  and  the  cause  of  truth  and  learning  is  thus  preserved  and 
transmitted,   even  as  in  the  Grecian  games   the  swift  runners  of  the 


536        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

torch  race,  delivering  the  blazing  brand  from  one  to  another,  imitated 
the  successive  generation  of  mankind,  vi'ho  hand  down  the  fire  of  know- 
ledge which  the  crafty  Prometheus  stole  from  heaven.  The  year  that 
Galileo  died  witnessed  the  birth  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton.  The  truth  I  am 
endeavoring  to  present  is  conspicuously  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Dr. 
Dabney.  Year  by  year,  for  almost  half  a  century,  he  sent  forth  from 
the  Theological  Seminary,  at  Hampden-Sidney,  and  from  the  University 
of  Texas  devoted  bands  of  young  men  to  enter  the  fields  of  Christian 
labor  and  of  splendid  scholarship.  In  the  lives  and  labor  of  these  his 
pupils,  as  well  as  in  his  many  published  volumes,  the  learning  and 
acquisitions,  which  in  one  aspect  are  buried  with  him,  are,  in  another 
sense,  snatched  from  the  grave,  and  endued  with  the  power  of  endless 
life.    In  such  instances  we  may  truly  say : 

"  Alike  are  life  and  death. 

Where  life  in  death  survives, 
And  the  uninterrupted  breath 
Inspires  a  thousand  lives; 

"  So  when  a  great  man  dies. 
For  years  beyond  our  ken 
The  light  he  leaves  behind  him  lies 
Upon  the  paths  of  men." 

In  the  (Columbia,  S.  C.)  State,  of  January  9,  1898,  Mr. 
James  Henry  Rice,  Jr.,  says: 

"As  Dr.  Dabney  sat  in  the  pulpit  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
the  other  day,  and  preached  a  sermon  long  to  be  remembered  by  those 
who  heard  it,  his  appearance  was  both  venerable  and  patriarchical.  As 
Dr.  Joynes  admirably  expressed  it,  'He  symbolized  the  union  of  a  Chris- 
tian apostle  with  old  Homer.'  The  towering  figure  (majestic  though 
recumbent),  the  flowing  locks  and  the  sightless  eyes  of  the  speaker,  and 
withal  the  fire  and  passion  of  his  utterance,  proved  the  justice  and  apt- 
ness of  the  characterization.  That,  in  a  few  words,  pictures  the  great 
Virginian  as  he  was.  The  old  heroic  poetry  lived  in  him,  and  found  a 
vent  in  the  beauty  and  worth  of  his  long  and  illustrious  life ;  and  the 
deathless  spirit  of  the  Berserkers  fired  him  to  the  last.  He  was  a  born 
gladiator,  though  he  combated  principalities  and  powers,  and  not  foes 
of  flesh  and  blood.  Dabney  never  waited  for  evil  to  mass  its  forces ; 
he  fell  on  it  with  savage  fury  in  its  camp,  tracked  the  beast  to  its  lair, 
and  there  laid  hold  with  the  dauntless  courage  of  his  kind. 

"And  there  was  that  in  him  that  cannot  perish.  The  lesson  of  such 
a  life  deserves  close  reading  and  diligent  consideration.  In  a  material 
sense,  he  would  have  bettered  his  fortunes  by  a  more  temperate  tone  in 
dealing  with  the  many  questions  which  his  intellect  grappled.  But  it 
was  the  nature  of  the  princely  man  to  spurn  anything  that  savored  of  a 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  537 

compromise  of  principle.  He  fought  long  and  hard,  and  died  uncon- 
quered  and  not  convinced  of  the  efficiency  of  gunpowder  and  the  bayonet 
to  control  reason  or  subvert  truth." 


Mr.  Rice  asks  of  the  Old  South,  of  which  Dr.  Dabney  was 
an  embodiment,  whether  it  has  "perished  utterly,"  and  an- 
swers : 

"No  bad  cause  ever  had  men  like  Lee  and  Jackson  to  fight  its  battles, 
nor  intellects  like  Calhoun,  Thornwell,  Hammond,  Bledsoe,  Dabney  and 
Laws  to  settle  its  problems.  All  these  honest  souls  are  the  warrant 
that  truth  was  there;  and  just  so  sure  as  truth  itself  is  eternal,  will  the 
cause  endure  to  the  end — not,  perhaps,  in  the  form  we  knew  it,  for  truth 
has  many  faces,  but  in  its  essence." 

He  cites  an  instance  of  "prophecy"  on  Dr.  Dabney's  part, 
already  fulfiUcd.  He  pronounces  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  "the 
'knightliest  of  the  knightly  band'  of  great  Virginians,  who  have 
shed  honor  and  renown  upon  their  native  State,"  and  then 
concludes : 

"What  we  intended  to  illustrate  in  the  foregoing  was  the  value  of 
the  life-force  of  such  a  man;  it  transcends  in  worth  and  importance  all 
the  systems  of  all  the  schools,  and  will  lie  on  this  generation  like  a 
benediction.  On  all  departments  his  keen  eye  rested;  on  every  abuse 
descended  his  malediction  like  a  whip  of  scorpions.  For  over  half  a 
century  he  had  borne  himself  in  the  heat  of  the  battle,  and  had  passed 
into  the  dim  half-twilight  of  age  a  stern,  splendid  figure,  with  eternal 
youth  in  his  heart  and  with  the  joy  of  hope  on  his  lips.  Remember,  the 
old  South  made  such  as  these.  They  were  her  jewels;  they  remain 
her  monuments ;  they  were  nurtured  on  her  bosom,  and  they  depart  with 
her  blessing.  They  'kept  the  faith  of  men  and  saints  serene  and  pure 
and  bright.'  As  Taine  wrote  of  Shakespeare,  'Only  this  great  age  could 
have  cradled  such  a  child.'  " 

On  Sunday  afternoon.  January  30,  1898,  memorial  services 
were  held  in  the  Opera  House,  at  Sherman,  Texas,  by  the 
Mildred  Lee  Camp  of  United  Confederate  Veterans,  to  com- 
memorate the  patriotism  and  virtues  of  Gen.  L.  S.  Ross  and 
Major  R.  L.  Dabney,  D.  D. 

After  the  address  had  been  made  in  honor  of  General  Ross, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Thornton  R.  Sampson,  President  of  the  Austin 
College,  and  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Dabney  while  he  was  professor  in 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  spoke,  in  part,  as  follows : 


538        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

"Dr.  Dabney  was  a  born  teacher,  and  he  loved  his  work.  It  has 
been  my  privilege,  as  a  student,  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  scholars  and  teachers  of  America,  Great  Britain  and  the 
continent  of  Europe,  such  as  McGuffey,  Gildersleeve,  Davidson,  Delitsch 
and  Luthardt;  but  Dabney  was  the  peer  of  any,  and  in  some  respects 
the  superior  of  them  all.  He  always  left  his  impress  upon  the  mind  of 
his  students.  One  might  differ  with  him  in  conclusions,  but  could  never 
deny  the  force  and  aptness  of  his  reasoning.  His  thorough  mastery  of 
the  subject,  his  clearness  and  thorough  analysis  of  it,  his  forceful,  apt 
illustrations,  and  his  sympathetic  recognition  of  the  students'  difficulties, 
gave  him  most  remarkable  force  as  a  teacher.  No  one  who  desired  to 
learn  could  fail  to  make  progress  or  get  profit  under  his  lucid,  inspiring 
tuition. 

"It  is,  however,  chiefly  of  another  striking  side  of  Dr.  Dabney's 
character  that  I  wish  to  speak.  Some  who  knew  Dr.  Dabney  only 
through  his  publications,  have  formed  the  idea  that  he  was  a  stern, 
severe  man,  lacking  in  sympathy  and  affection.  It  cannot  be  denied 
that  some  expressions,  in  a  certain  class  of  his  articles,  especially  those 
concerning  the  civil  war,  have  given  just  ground  for  such  inference. 

"But  it  should  be  stated,  and  it  can  be  asserted  with  all  positiveness, 
for  it  is  a  fact  to  which  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him  can  testify, 
that  such  was  not  the  case.  He  was  a  kind  neighbor,  a  tender  and  most 
affectionate  husband,  an  over-indulgent  parent  and  a  most  faithful 
friend.  In  fact,  he  scarcely  seemed,  with  all  his  acumen,  to  be  able  to 
see  the  faults  of  a  friend,  and  his  judgment  possibly  failed  him  oftener 
in  speaking  or  writing  of  those  whom  he  loved  than  at  any  other  time." 

j\Iany  resolutions  and  formal  expressions  of  appreciation 
were  offered,  adopted,  and  sent  to  his  family,  by  the  instittitions 
with  which  he  had  been  connected,  bodies  of  students,  camps 
of  Confederate  Veterans,  etc.,  attesting  at  once  the  widespread 
esteem  for  his  character  and  admiration  for  his  great  parts,  and 
sense  of  loss  in  his  death.  Scores  and  hundreds  of  letters  of 
the  same  great  character  potired  in  on  his  widow  and  his 
sons. 

More  recent  tributes  have  been  paid  to  the  same  effect.  Dr. 
S.  A.  King,  of  Waco,  Texas,  wrote  on  April  11,  1901 : 

"Dr.  Dabney's  greatness  was  known  and  recognized  in  all  the 
English-speaking  world.  His  geniality,  his  gentleness,  his  modesty, 
could  be  known  only  by  those  who  had  the  privilege  of  personal  ac- 
quaintance and  intercourse." 

The  Rev.  P.  P.  Flournoy,  Bethesda.  Md.,  wrote,  February 
27,  1901: 


Death,  Burial,  Eulogies  and  Tributes.  539 

"Dr.  Dabney  has  been  recognized,  for.  a  generation  past,  as  in  some 
respects  the  first  preacher  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  There  may 
have  been  others  with  oratorical  gifts  which  he  lacked,  who  were,  for 
the  average  audience,  more  popular  preachers ;  but  as  a  preacher  for 
preachers  and  educated  thinkers  of  all  professions,  I  think  there  can 
be  no  question  that  he  stood  without  an  equal.  His  position,  too,  as  a 
theologian  is  unquestioned.  He  certainly  stands  among  the  first  of  all 
our  country  has  produced,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  holds  the  first 
place.  But  it  is  as  a  philosopher  that  his  intellectual  powers  appear  to 
their  greatest  advantage.  Indeed,  his  greatness  as  a  theologian  is  due, 
in  large  part,  to  his  powerful  hold  on  the  fundamental  principles  of 
philosophy." 

The  death  of  few  men  has  been  followed  by  such  concessions 
of  admiration  on  the  part  of  those,  in  some  grave  matters,  op- 
posed to  him,  by  such  prevalent  lamentation  in  his  communion 
and  section,  the  great  Southland,  by  such  genuine  and  general 
feelings  of  irreparable  loss.  Few  have  called  forth  more  spon- 
taneous and  generous  and  noble  expressions  of  regard  for 
character,  or  esteem  for  talents. 

Shortly  after  his  death,  his  devoted  widow  erected  over  his 
grave,  in  the  little  cemetery  of  Hampden-Sidney,  a  simple,  but 
massive  monument  of  granite.  The  inscriptions  on  the  two 
faces  are,  respectively :  ^ 

(I) 

ROBERT  LEWIS  DABNEY,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 

Born  ]\Iarch  5,  1820. 

Died  January  3,  1898. 

Minister  of  the  Gospel,  Professor  of  Theology  in  Union 

Seminary,    and    of    Philosophy    in    the    University    of 

Texas,  Major  in  the  Confederate  Army,  and  Chief  of 

Staff  to  Stonewall  Jackson. 

"Prove  all  things,  hold  fast  that  zvhich  is  good." 

(2) 

DABNEY. 

In  unshaken  loyalty  of  devotion  to  his  friends,  his 
country,  and  his  religion,  firm  in  misfortune,  ever  active 
in  earnest  endeavor,  he  labored  all  his  life  for  what  he 
loved  with  a  faith  in  good  causes,  that  was  ever  one 
with  his  faith  in  God. 


'  For  copies  of  these  inscriptions  we  are  indebted  to  Dr.  H.  P.  Lacy, 
of  Hampden-Sidney. 


540        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

The  three  sons  left  behind  are  each  going  on  prosperously  in 
his  own  chosen  profession  to-clay.  Their  homes  are  blessed  with 
children.  Amongst  them  is  one,  restless,  active,  virile  little  fel- 
low, called  Robert  Lewis  Dabney.  The  devoted  wife,  whose  vo- 
cation it  had  been  for  years  to  wait  on  her  blind  and  physically 
infirm  husband,  felt,  at  first,  that  her  vocation  was  gone.  Ever 
used  to  going  to  him  as  a  strong  tower  in  time  of  trial,  she 
mourned  for  him  as  she  had  not  for  little  children  even ;  but  the 
Christian  in  her  triumphed.  She  found  other  forms  of  service 
to  do,  and  has  lived  not  unhappily.  She  was  left  with  a  com- 
petence for  her  modest  needs,  including  a  comfortable  cottage 
near  her  son  Samuel's  home,  in  Victoria,  Texas.  In  this  sum- 
mer of  1902,  she  has  reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight 
and  a  half  years.  She  has  retained  the  full  possession  of  all  her 
faculties,  but  recently  has  sustained  an  injury  to  one  of  her 
lower  limbs  by  a  fall,  and  has  been  confined  for  some  weeks  to 
her  bed.  The  youngest  son,  Lewis  M.,  writes:  "She  has  mar- 
vellous heroism  and  genuine  religion  to  support  her.  I  never 
saw  any  one,  male  or  female,  exceed  her  in  either  quality." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SUMMARY  VIEW  OF  THE  MAN  AND  HIS  SERVICES. 

Primal  Traits. — Energy  and  Power  of  his  Faculties  of  Mind  and 
Heart.  —  Sense  of  Responsibility.  —  Christian  Character.  — 
Sanctified  Common-sense.  —  In  his  Several  Functions:  As 
Preacher. —  Te.\cher. —  Theologian. —  Philosopher. —  Political 
Economist. — Statesman. — Patriot. — Friend. — Servant  of  God. — 
The  Great  Conservative. 

Energy  and  Power. 

THE  outstanding  native  trait  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  was 
energy — energy  of  body,  energy  of  mind,  energy  of  the 
feelings,  energy  of  will.  This  energy  must  have  found  large 
and  peculiar  expression  in  his  child-life.^  We  have  seen  it  in 
the  excellence  and  quality  of  his  work  at  Hampden-Sidney 
College,  when  as  a  student  he  attained  the  maximum 'grade  for 
effort  and  for  achievement.  We  have  seen  it  in  his  quitting 
college  to  build  his  mother's  mill-dam,  get  her  farm  into  good 
shape,  and  her  finances  on  a  safe  basis,  and  meanwhile  to  trudge 
four  miles  of  a  morning,  and  back  in  the  afternoon,  to  teach 
school,  and  so  make  money  to  pay  his  way  through  the  Uni- 
versity. W^e  have  seen  it  in  his  many-sided  and  strenuous  life 
as  a  university  student,  distinguishing  himself  in  every  study, 
taking  the  first  place  as  a  magazine  writer,  tutoring  his  brother, 
struggling  with  narrow  means,  supervising  thence  his  mother's 
plantations,  vastly  interested  in  multitudinous  topics,  in  all  life, 
pouring  hirhself  out  in  diversified  correspondence.  We  have 
seen  it  in  the  Latin  Etymology,  which  he  wrote  the  next  year 
to  teach  his  sister  Betty  the  principles  of  that  great  classic 
tongue.  We  have  seen  it  in  his  career  as  student  at  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  through  which  he  passed  in  two  sessions, 
doing  not  only  all.  but  much  more  than  most  students  did  in 

^  Mr.  S.  B.  Dabney  writes  :  "My  mother  tells  me  that  my  grandmother 
told  her  that  when  my  father  was  a  little  fellow,  he  constantly  sat  with 
his  own  father  and  his  friends,  Hstening  with  intense  eagerness  to  their 
conversation,  which  he  would  afterwards  narrate  to  her.  I  think  that 
early  contact  with  these  old  Virginia  gentlemen  formed  many  of  his 
ideas." 


542        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

three  sessions.  We  have  seen  it  in  the  varied  and  Herculean 
labors  of  his  Tinkling  Spring  life,  his  able  preaching,  his  pas- 
toral work,  his  school-keeping,  his  farming,  his  building  a 
church,  his  building  a  home,  "putting  his  own  shoulder  to 
nearly  every  stone  in  the  walls,"  his  vigorous  writings  on  evan- 
gelical, ecclesiastical,  philosophical  and  political  subjects  of  the 
time,  etc.  We  have  seen  it  in  his  whole  life  as  professor  at 
Hampden-Sidney  to  1874,  during  which  time  he  was  also  pastor 
of  the  College  Church.  Not  to  go  further,  we  have  seen  it  in 
the  huge  mass  of  his  writings ;  he  has  written  far  more  than 
any  other  man,  and  perhaps  more  than  any  other  two  men,  in 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church.  We  have  seen  it  in  the 
universality  of  his  information.  He  had  a  large  knowledge  of 
nature,  a  large  knowledge  of  medicine,-  a  large  knowledge  of 
law,  a  large  and  profound  knowledge  of  philosophy,  a  large  and 
profound  knowledge  of  politics,  and  genuine  statesmanship  of  a 
high  order,  a  large  and  profound  knowledge  of  theology.  We 
have  seen  it  in  the  universality  of  his  interests,  for  interest  is 
energy  of  curiosity. 

He  nof  only  was  possessed  of  extraordinary  energy,  but  of 
extraordinary  power  as  well.  The  term  energy  is  often  used  to 
include  power  of  achievement ;  it  rightly  means  much  more 
than  activity — the  energy  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney  was  effective 
in  a  large  way,  as  seen  in  the  above-mentioned  and  other 
achievements.  A  small  steam  engine  may  be  kept  in  very  con- 
stant motion.  It  may  be  made  to  drive  many  bracket  saws ; 
but  it  required  a  Corliss  engine  to  move  all  the  vast  machinery 
of  the  Philadelphia  Centennial  of  1876.  There  are  very  many 
energetic  little  men  in  the  world.  They  cut  much  bric-a-brac. 
Robert  L.  Dabney  was  an  engine  of  power.  He  was  intensely 
active,  energetic,  and  his  was  no  bracket  saw.  His  work  was 
to  cut  huge  blocks  of  solid  granite  from  the  quarries  of  eternal 
truth,  swing  them  with  his  derrick  crane  on  to  the  ramparts  of 

^  While  troubled  by  his  failing  eyesight,  he  visited  a  distinguished 
New  York  occulist,  to  consult  with  him  about  his  eyes.  He  was  an- 
nounced as  Dr.  Dabney,  of  Austin,  Texas.  When  he  asked  for  his  bill, 
the  distinguished  specialist  said,  "You  know,  Dr.  Dabney,  that  we 
physicians  never  charge  one  another."  Dr.  Dabney  replied  that  he  was 
not  a  physician,  but  an  humble  minister  of  the  gospel,  then  teaching 
Philosophy  in  the  University  of  Texas.  "Well,  sir,  you  have  shown  a 
technical  knowledge  of  your  trouble  and  of  the  human  organism  so 
great  that  I  was  certain  you  were  a  learned  physician,"  was  the  reply. 


Summary  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Services.      543 

the  citadel  of  conservatism,  spike  them  into  a  soHd  whole  with 
a  Titan's  hammer,  and  hurl  thence,  with  more  than  catapultic 
force,  huge  boulders  into  the  very  camps  of  the  enemies.  It 
has  been  said  by  one  who  ought  to  know  that  Dr.  George  Baxter 
was,  by  natural  endowments,  the  most  talented  man  who  ever 
served  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  Virginia  in  a  profes- 
sorial capacity,  that  Dr.  Dabney,  though  born  a  smaller  man, 
grew  long  and  grew  till  he  became  bigger  than  Baxter  ever 
was ;  but  it  is  clear  that  young  Dabney  was  a  youth  of  power, 
power  as  well  as  energy.    His  youthful  work  proves  it. 

It  is  hard  to  say  to  which  of  young  Dabney's  faculties  these 
primal  traits  of  energy  and  power  attached  in  a  degree  pre- 
eminent above  their  attachment  to  others.  We  see  energy  and 
power  in  the  working  of  his  acquisitive  faculties,  energy  and 
power  in  the  working  of  his  memory,  energy  and  power  in  the 
faculty  of  reason,  and  of  his  constructive  imagination.  His 
powers  of  acquisition  were  of  the  highest  order.  According  to 
his  own  analysis  of  these  powers,  made  in  his  mature  years, 
wonder  and  curiosity  are  native,  and  conspire  to  the  active  pur- 
suit of  truth.  From  a  youth  up,  whenever  he  met  a  stranger 
or  any  one  from  a  new,  or  distant,  locality,  his  wonder  and 
curiosity  vented  themselves  in  eager  questions  about  soil,  cli- 
mate, religious,  civil  or  social  conditions,  or  other  possible 
things.^  He  also  made  an  effort,  under  the  stress  of  this  energy 
from  within,  to  get  an  all-round  view  of  the  matters  brought 
before  him  thus.  He  thought  himself  slow  in  getting  this  view, 
but  his  slowness  was  in  making  sure  that  he  had  heard  all  that 
was  essential.  The  same  thing  was  true  of  his  use  of  his  own 
senses  for  what  was  to  be  gotten  from  the  world  through  their 
testimony.  From  a  boy  Robert  L.  Dabney  was,  as  ]\Ir.  C.  C. 
Taliaferro  said  of  him  in  the  Valley  Campaign,  and  in  his  life 
at  Hampden-Sidney,  "ahvays  looking  about  him."  His  energy 
and  power  of  observation  are  evinced  by  his  exhaustive  know- 
ledge of  the  topography  of  the  Virginias  and  many  neighboring 
States,  by  his  ability  to  tell  more  about  the  country  neighbor- 
hoods of  most  of  the  students  who  gathered  at  the  Seminary 
from  vear  to  year  than  the  students  could  severally  of  their  own 
localities.  It  was,  no  doubt,  on  account  of  this  power,  in  part, 
that  the  genius,  Stonewall  Jackson,  chose  him  as  chief  of  stafif, 

^  Compare  Dr.  J.   B.   Shearer,  in  the   Union  Theological  Seminary 
Magazine,  April,  1898. 


544        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lenvis  Dabney. 

and  it  served  his  general  well  on  more  than  one  important  field. 
It  gave  him,  too,  an  admirable  knowledge  of  geology,  a  great 
store  of  learning  about  botany,  a  remarkable  knowledge  of 
engineering,  architecture,  practical  building  and  machinery.  It 
gave  him  a  large  and  solid  knowledge  of  farming,  gardening, 
stock-raising,  fruit-growing,  and  lural  afifairs  generally.  It 
gave  him  a  vast  fund  of  information  about  individuals,  and 
historical  movements,  and  his  vast  acquistions  of  theological 
and  philosophical  knowledge. 

The  energy  and  power  of  his  memory  were  equally  remark- 
able. He  was  able  to  reproduce  at  will  from  the  vast  stores 
which  he  had  acquired.  As  his  hearing  became  more  acute  with 
his  loss  of  vision,  so  his  memory  was  more  vigorously  exercised, 
and  grew  in  power  with  his  age ;  but  throughout  all  his  life  he 
had  been  a  wonder  for  his  accuracy  and  strength  of  memory 
for  the  gist  of  an  event,  or  a  place,  or  a  face,  and  even  for  the 
more  important  details.  His  memory  was  always  of  the  philo- 
sophic order,  too.  In  noting  facts,  it  was  ever  his  habit  to  see 
the  underlying  principles,  and  their  more  important  relations, 
their  whole  meaning  in  their  environment,  so  far  as  this  was 
possible.  His  interest  in  the  meaning  of  the  fact  had  made  the 
thing  bite  in  upon  the  very  fibre  of  his  mind.  He  saw  and 
heard  with  the  intense  and  deliberate  purpose  of  recalling  to 
use,  in  future,  in  the  illustration  of  principles,  and  in  the  ex- 
planation of  circumstance.  His  memory  brought  forth,  there- 
fore, from  his  acquisitions  that  which  w^as  pertinent  to  the 
needs  of  the  hour.  It  enriched  and  ennobled  his  conversation 
and  all  his  elaborate  work. 

The  energy  and  power  of  the  man  in  reasoning  was  the  thing 
that  most  impressed  those  who  knew  him  only  through  his 
philosophical  and  theological  writings.  It  expressed  itself  in 
the  keenest  analysis,  the  most  acute  and  delicate  discrimination, 
the  perfect  mental  perception  of  the  thing  to  be  done.  His 
mind  would  take  up  a  false  system,  portray  it  in  all  its  attrac- 
tiveness, making  his  hearer  think  it  must  be  true,  remorselessly 
spot  its  errors,  make  them  stand  out  vividly,  and  then  mass 
arguments  against  them,  and  the  system  of  which  they  were 
parts,  and  break  it,  as  he  would  a  bit  of  rotten  sandstone  with  a 
sledge-hammer,  into  disconnected  grains.  This  reasoning 
power  was  somewhat  crude  in  its  expression  in  his  early  days. 
The  faculty  needed  training  and  development ;  but  he  was  born 
with  something  unusually  worthy  of  training.    The  man  whose 


Summary  \'ie\v  of  the  Man  and  his  Services.      545 

paper  on  inductive  logic  excited  the  admiration  of  the  Victoria 
Institute  had  been  a  boy  with  a  bent  toward  reasoning.  In  his 
boyhood  he  had  loved  mathematics.  In  his  University  days 
pure  mathematics  had  been  his  favorite  study.  He  had  betrayed 
in  that,  in  his  perfect  grasp  of  the  terms  to  be  dealt  with,  and 
of  the  "simplicity  of  each  step,"  the  possession  of  a  power  which 
might  be  trained  to  make  the  nicest  distinctions,  with  the  result 
of  a  straight  march  to  inevitable  conclusions.  Moreover,  this 
delight  in  mathematics  both  proved  the  existence  of  and  culti- 
vated the  persistent  energy  of  reasoning;  for  who  can  succeed 
in  mathematical  problems,  however  fine  his  power  of  compre- 
hension of  a  problem,  unless,  having  formed  a  plan  of  solution, 
he  will  also  persistently  push  the  plan  through  to  the  conclu- 
sion? This,  however,  was  only  one  of  scores  of  ways  in  which 
the  energy  and  power  of  his  reasoning  faculty  spoke  itself  out. 
It  is  clear  that  when  he  was  a  youth  of  twenty  he  was  not  only 
a  Calvinist  in  name,  but  in  fact,  that  he  knew  zvhy  he  was  a 
Calvinist ;  that  he  knew  he  was  a  Democrat  of  the  Calhoun 
stripe,  and  knew  zi'hy  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  zvliy  he  was  of 
the  Calhoun  stripe  ;  but  he  grew  in  reasoning  power.  He  joyed 
in  wrestling  with  the  great  problems  before  the  church  and  the 
state.  His  very  gaudiiim  ccrtannius  kept  him  ever  exercising 
this  faculty.  He  wrote  almost  always  to  prove  something.  He 
was  often  a  polemic,  writing  to  prove  the  thing  wrong  which  he 
opposed.  He  was  always  a  teacher  of  positive  truth,  and  en- 
deavoring to  show  its  susceptibility  of  proof  positive  and  con- 
vincing, or,  at  least,  its  compatibility  with  reason,  if  the  matter 
were  something  derived  from  revelation  alone. 

He  was  not  less  noted  for  the  energy  and  power  of  his  con- 
structive imagination.  This  faculty  appears  to  be  almost  want- 
ing in  some  men.  It  is  quite  different  from  the  fancy.  He 
could,  by  a  little  cultivation,  have  displayed  a  luxurious  and 
riotous  fancy;  but  he  cared  little  to  develop  that  faculty.  The 
power  of  reason  and  of  earnest  purpose  were  too  strong  in  him. 
The  faculty  of  constructive  imagination  is  quite  different,  also, 
from  that  of  the  logical  understanding.  A  man  may  have  as 
logical  a  reason  as  Aristotle,  and  his  power  in  logical  reasoning 
may  equal  the  Stagirites,  and  yet  he  may  have  no  constructive 
imagination.  This  is  the  faculty  which  differentiates  the  extra- 
ordinary man  from  the  ordinary  strong  man.  the  faculty  which 
conditions  real  originality,  which  is  the  mark  of  genius.  It  is  a 
power  without  which  no  man  can  be  a  real  poet,  it  is  the  power 
35 


546        Life  and  Letters  of  Kobert  Lewis  Dabney. 

which  the  inventor  and  discoverer  must  possess,  it  is  the  power 
which  the  great  Hterary  artificers  must  possess,  the  power  which 
the  former  of  a  great  philosophical,  or  theological  system  must 
have.  This  faculty  he  had  in  large  mould.  He  could  project 
parts  of  his  acquisitions  into  new  relations,  under  the  control 
of  great,  accurately  grasped  principles,  with  the  certainty  of 
definite,  perceived  results.  We  see  this  in  his  inventive  genius 
in  the  sphere  of  mechanics.  We  see  it  in  his  poetic  conceptions, 
and  that  whether  he  was  perfectly  at  home  in  the  laws  of 
rhythm  or  not.  We  see  it  in  his  almost  prophetical  sagacity  as 
to  the  outcome  of  certain  social  changes.  We  see,  too,  that  he 
had  creative  skill,  or  interpretive  skill  of  God's  creation,  in  the 
construction  of  a  philosophical,  or  a  theological  system.  He 
presented  truth,  too,  in  bits,  or  in  the  whole  system,  as  he  taught 
in  the  class-room,  in  his  own  way. 

The  energy  and  power  of  his  active  feelings  and  will  were 
fully  as  great  as  that  of  his  intellectual  faculties.  He  was  from 
youth  to  age  a  man  of  passionate  desires  and  affections  and 
masterful  will.  His  devotion  to  his  family,  to  his  friends,  to  his 
State,  to  his  section,  to  principle,  and  to  the  Scriptures,  and  to 
their  Divine  Author,  was  like  that  of  the  Apostle  John's  to  his 
brethren  and  to  his  Lord.  He  kept  a  powerful  bit  in  his  mouth 
that  ugly  desires  might  not  gain  expression,  but  when  reason 
and  conscience  approved  the  course  of  his  desires,  he  was  not 
easily  thwarted.  See  him  stalking  out  of  the  school-room  at 
Tinkling  Spring,  cutting  half  a  dozen  good,  stout  hickory 
withes,  and,  along  with  them,  a  cane  of  some  tough  growth, 
stout  enough  to  knock  a  bull  down,  and  stalking  back.  There 
is  the  glint  of  fire  in  his  powerful  black  eye,  there  is  determina- 
tion written  on  every  lineament  of  his  grim  face,  in  ever  motion 
of  his  long  form,  in  the  heavy  heel  strokes  on  the  ground.  He 
has  whipped  a  great  disorderly  lout,  perhaps  given  him  an 
unduly  severe  thrashing.  Those  youths  have  met  no  master 
before,  and  there  is  disorder  almost  to  rebellion ;  but  Mr.  Dab- 
ney thought  it  was  his  duty  to  have  order  and  to  secure  effort. 
Tradition  says  that  the  arm  of  this  same  man,  even  in  the 
Theological  Seminary,  had,  on  a  fellow-student's  giving  him  a 
gratuitous  insult,  suddenly  straightened  from  the  shoulder,  with 
the  result  that  the  offender  was  knocked  to  the  ground.  At 
times,  to  his  friends  even,  there  was  something  almost  awful 
in  his  passion,  as  in  his  speech  in  the  Synod  of  \^irginia,  at 
Charlestown,  W.  Va.,  and  in  his  address  in  the  interlocutory 


Summary  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Services.      547 

meeting,  at  the  Assembly  of  1870,  in  Louisville.  Alen  held  their 
breath  while  the  torrent  rolled.  It  appalled  them  like  the  sweep- 
ing of  the  incoming  waves  of  the  Galveston  storm,  or  the 
belching  of  Alount  Pelee ;  yet  the  reason  of  it  wrought  in  them 
respect  for  it.  So  also  its  perfect  honesty  and  sincerity.  He 
loved  good,  and  hated  what  he  regarded  as  evil  for  cause.  He 
justified  himself  in  this  course.  Read  his  article  "Laus  Ira- 
citiidiac" : 

"Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  is  said  to  have  exclaimed,  'I  do  love  a  good 
hater.'     This  representative  specimen  of  the  John  Bull  was  taught  by 
his  sturdy  good  sense  to  pierce  the  hypocrisy  of  your  model  gentleman, 
who  can  always  speak  of  those  who  have  injured  him  or  opposed  him, 
with  perfect  composure.     The  literary  dictator's  knowledge  of  human 
nature  taught  him  that  when  one  is  crossed,  it  is  his  instinct  to  be  angry ; 
so  that  the  apparent  absence  of  emotion  is  more  correctly  to  be  ascribed 
to  deceit  than  to  sanctity.     Hence,  the  bluff,  hearty  man,  who  made 
no  concealments  of  his  antipathies,  and  who  was  wont  to  ease  his  mind 
by  some   good   volleys   of   sound,   candid  hard   names,   is   much   more 
hkely   a    man   of   truthful   and   honest   impulses   than   the   pretentious 
philosopher,  who  assumes  to  be  above  the  sense  of  injury.     We  can 
imagine  the  old  gentleman,  in  his  lively  way,  defending  his  naughty 
opinion  against  the  pious  horror  of  some  Miss  Nancy  in  male  or  female 
attire:    'My  dear  madam,  is  not  wrong  the  opposite  of  right;  and  is 
not  injury  the  counterpart  of  beneficence?     By  the  same  impulse  by 
which  the  well-constituted  mind  responds  to  truth  and  right  with  appro- 
bation, and  to  beneficence  with  gratitude,  must  it  meet  error  or  vice 
with  reprobation,  and  injury  with  resentment.     These  contrasted  emo- 
tions are  but  the  two  poles  which  respectfully  attract  and  repel  the  same 
magnet,  the  human  heart.    If  the  pole  of  repulsion  be  but  feebly  shunned, 
we  shall  expect  the  pole  of  attraction  to  be  languidly  sought.     Hatred 
tranquilly  worded  is  no  more  to  be  confided  in  than  love  coldly  ex- 
pressed.    By  the  same  reason  that  one  professes  to  be  able  to  regard! 
his  enemy  without  resentment,  I  should  suspect  him  of  being  capable  o£ 
behaving  to  his  friend  without  affection.    Your  languid  hater  must  ever 
be  a  languid  lover.    Give  me,  then,  by  all  means,  a  good,  honest  hater. 
Remember,  my  dear  madam,  that  it  was  not  anger  simply  which  the 
Prince  of  Peace  himself  condemned,  but  being  "angry  with  our  brother 
without  a  cause."     To  be  angry  where  there  is  a  cause  is  inevitable 
nature.    He,  therefore,  who  affects  to  be  above  anger,  makes  me  suspect 
that  his  virtue  is  not  supernatural,  but  hypocritical.     He  who  is  angry 
may  be  guiltv  of  injustice;  he  who  is  incapable  of  it  must  be  equally 
incapable   of 'generous  ardor  in  his  friendships.     Better  the  generous 
foe  than  the  snaky  friend,'  etc.,  etc." 


548        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

He  was  driven  impetuously,  persistently,  obstinately  against 
all  that  he  regarded  as  essentially  nasty  and  evil.  His  whole 
life  is  the  proof  of  the  extraordinary  energy  and  power  of  his 
afifectional  and  volitive  faculties.  This  argues,  what  his  life 
also  proves,  that  his  capacity  for  suffering  was  immense.  His 
suffering  on  the  death  of  his  little  boys,  and  his  sister  Betty,  on 
the  fall  of  the  Confederacy,  on  any  great  false  step  on  the  part 
of  his  church,  was  terrific.  After  the  war.  he  was  like  Prome- 
theus bound.  Self-respect  was  to  be  maintained,  righteousness 
pursued.    That  was  all. 

Few  have  been  like  him  in  tremendous  necessity  and  capacity 
for  work,  for  thinking,  for  feeling,  and  for  suffering.  Without 
thinking,  he  could  not  have  existed.  It  was  as  necessary  for 
him  to  feel  as  to  think.  His  heart  was  a  harp  swept  by  all 
winds. 

Sense  of  Responsibility. 

Young  Dabney  had  a  high  sense  of  responsibility.  As  a  boy, 
he  shouldered  responsibility,  and  acquitting  himself  well,  he 
became  the  practical  head  of  his  family  when  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age.  He  felt  early  his  responsibility,  not  only  for  the 
welfare  of  his  family,  but  to  make  all  he  could  of  himself.  The 
obligation  to  duty  was  always  strong  with  him.  While  many  of 
his  desires  would  have  led  him  mto  corresponding  forms  of  life, 
they  w^re  generally  made  to  wait  on  his  obligation  to  duty. 
Upon  his  becoming  a  Christian,  his  sense  of  responsibility  to 
God  as  paramount  established  itself,  and  he  became  a  type,  not 
of  New  England  Puritanism,  but  of  Puritanism  of  the  noblest 
English  age.  If  ever  Puritan  felt  that  God  had  put  him  into  the 
world,  given  him  a  work  to  do  for  him.  and  expected  the  work 
to  be  done  and  the  account  rendered,  Robert  L.  Dabney  felt  it. 
Thus  is  explained,  in  part,  his  energy  of  passion  against  what 
he  saw  to  be  wrong,  though  it  were  supported  by  all  the  world. 
He,  at  least,  believed  that  he  was  about  his  Lord's  business,  and 
that  business  he  would  do,  though  opposed  by  all  the  powers  of 
earth  and  hell.  Seldom  has  a  man  of  more  unwavering  and 
absolute  faithfulness  to  his  convictions  of  right  and  duty  lived. 
One  of  his  students,  who  knew  him  well,  and  was  favored  with 
his  confidence,  illustrates  and  confirms  this,  as  follows : 

"Sometimes  he  would  ask  me  to  come  to  his  study,  without  inti- 
mating what  he  wished  to  see  me  about.  When  I  went  I  found  that 
he  wanted  to  talk  over  some  of  the  burning  questions  that  then  pressed 


Summary  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Services.      549 

upon  the  people  of  the  South,  both  in  State  and  church.  It  was  in  sjiich 
interviews  that  I  learned  to  know  him,  and  to  see  that  back  of  all  that 
some  thought  and  called  his  harshness  and  prejudice,  there  was  a  great 
warm  heart  and  a  mind  of  extraordinary  power  gfappling  with  such 
questions,  not  as  speculations,  but  as  matters  of  personal  duty.  'What 
ought  /  to  think,  and  say  and  do  under  these  conditions?'  seemed  to  be 
the  burden  of  his  soul.  Sometimes  at  these  interviews  in  his  study,  he 
would  seem  to  forget  my  presence,  and  pace  up  and  down,  pouring  out 
his  thoughts  and  feelings  in  a  torrent  of  burning  words,  until  I  would 
sit  awed  at  the  sight  of  such  a  struggle  in  such  a  soul."  ■* 

"What  ought  I  to  do  ?"  The  answer  to  this  question  explains 
the  existence  of  most  of  the  thundering  philippics  for  which  he 
has  been  so  much  criticised.  He  sees  things  clearly,  and  ex- 
presses himself  accordingly.  To  the  people  who  cannot  see 
he  seems  mad  with  ugly  fury.  He  is  really  acting  under  the 
stress  of  a  stern  sense  of  obligation. 

Thus  is  explained  his  enormous  labors  and  achievements,  and 
thus,  in  part,  his  keen  sense  of  stewardship.  He  felt  obliged  to 
husband  well  the  means  with  which  from  time  to  time  Provi- 
dence rewarded  his  labors.  His  economy  was  on  "a  principle 
of  Christian  obligation,  early  adopted  and  carried  out  with 
characteristic  steadiness."  It  moved  him  to  be  the  "generous 
patron  of  every  Christian  interest,  and  the  ready  helper  of 
kindred  and  friend  in  time  of  need" ;  but  it  left  him  nothing  for 
expenditure  which  he  could  not  justify  at  the  bar  of  the  great 
tribunal. 

Christian  Character. 

His  Christianity  was  the  Christianity  begotten  with  a  definite 
system  of  truth,  and  it  was  constantly  nourished  and  informed 
by  the  same  grand  system  of  truth.  He  was  a  Calvinist,  and  an 
intelligent  Calvinist,  from  his  youth  on.  He  accepted  the  Bible 
as  the  absolute  Word  of  God,  as  inspired,  not  only  in  matter, 
but  in  form.  He  accepted  its  whole  humiliating  portraiture  of 
human  sinfulness,  its  doctrine  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  salva- 
tion by  grace,  if  salvation  there  be,  its  doctrine  of  predestina- 
tion, its  doctrine  of  vicarious  atonement,  of  regeneration  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  of  justification  through  faith  on  the  ground  of  our 
Redeemer's  righteousness,  of  progress  in  sanctification,  God's 

*  Dr.  G.  W.  Finley,  Fishersville.  Va..  who  entered  as  student  of 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  the  fall  of  1865. 


550        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

grace  cooperating  with  and  giving  efficiency  to  regenerate 
efifort.  This  teaching  of  the  ^^'ord  of  God  he  found  verified  in 
his  own  hfe.  He  saw,  in  this  whole  gracious  scheme,  the 
strongest  possible  inducement  and  motive  to  a  holy  life.  Hence 
his  view  of  the  authority  of  God's  law  was  peculiarly  strong. 
"'The  law  and  the  testimony"  settled  all  duty  with  him.  The 
ruling  passion  of  his  life  was  love  to  God  and  zeal  for  his  glory. 
His  hatred  of  false  philosophies,  of  false  views  of  sociology,  of 
false  theories  of  political  rights,  was  largely  due  to  their  dis- 
honoring God.  Their  vicious  influences  upon  the  true  religious 
life  of  the  church  and  people  he  was  constantly  showing.  His 
was  the  Christianity  of  principle.  He  endeavored  to  discover 
from  the  Scriptures  the  divine  teaching.  He  held  what  he  held 
from  the  conviction  that  it  was  God's  teaching.  Walk  in  it  he 
would,  whether  men  would  approve  or  whether  they  would 
disapprove.  This  reign  of  principle  gave  strength  to  his  life. 
Hence  the  leaning  of  many  of  his  brethren  on  him.  Men  be- 
lieved in  his  faith.  Many  men  who  sat  under  him,  in  the  early 
years  of  his  professorial  life,  have  given  expression  to  their 
conviction  that  Dr.  Dabney  was  then  the  most  Godly  man  they 
had  ever  seen.  Both  the  students  of  his  earlier  and  of  his  later 
years  unite  in  saying  that  he  was  like  the  Apostle  John  on  the 
lovely  side  of  his  character.  One  of  them  says,  "How  he  strove 
to  be  like  his  Master,  who  was  meek  and  lowly  in  heart."  One 
proof  of  his  practical  godliness  is  found  in  the  fact  that  he  was  a 
man  to  whom  people  in  trouble  were  wont  to  go  in  order  to  find 
help.  They  could  do  this,  because,  in  spite  of  all  his  positive- 
ness  of  character,  he  was  meek  and  humble.  He  had  compas- 
sion on  the  weak  and  ignorant.  Coupled  with  this  was  a  large 
generosity  in  judging  of  the  characters  of  his  fellow-men,  a 
large,  Christlike  love  for  them.  He  was  remarkably  free  from 
base  affections,  jealousy,  envy.  etc.  He  knew  what  slander  was 
and  despised  it.  Except  for  the  purpose  of  subserving  the  in- 
terests of  truth,  he  rarely  related  anything  of  any  man  that  was 
discreditable  to  that  man ;  and  it  may  well  be  doubted  whether 
any  minister  in  the  country  showed  day  by  day  more  genuine 
and  considerate  regard  for  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  and  for 
men  in  general.  He  was  far  superior  to  many  who  criticised 
him  in  this  respect.  With  age  and  blindness  there  came  upon 
him  a  beautiful  mellowed  sweetness  of  character,  and  "his  great 
heart  dropped  unction  on  any  creature  around  him." 


Summary  A'iew  of  the  Max  and  his  Services.      551 

Sanctified  Commox-Sexse. 

The  student  of  Robert  L.  Dabney's  life  must  be  impressed 
with  his  large  common-sense.  It  looms  out  in  his  whole  life. 
He  had  large  ideality,  but  he  was  never  a  visionary.  He  was 
always  testing  his  theories  by  facts.  His  common-sense  is 
made  clear  by  his  success  in  nearly  every  undertaking  of  his  life, 
his  undertakings  being  many.  He  was  a  good  practical  farmer, 
a  good  teacher,  a  good  pastor,  a  capital  member  of  a  military 
staff.  He  was  a  skilful  mechanic  and  furniture  maker,  and 
never  made  things  for  past  time  but  to  serve  some  useful  end. 
He  bound  books  well,  drew  maps  and  plans  for  buildings.  He 
knew  how  to  use  everything,  mental  or  physical,  he  possessed 
to  some  useful  end.  He  was  a  profound  philosophic  thinker. 
He  knew  how  to  possess  the  unphilosophical  of  his  philosophic 
notions,  to  state  a  concrete  case  embodying  the  principle,  get 
the  core  of  the  matter  vividly  before  the  mind  of  the  person  to 
be  instructed,  and  then,  in  the  most  direct  and  straightforward 
way,  march  through  his  exposition  to  certain  inexorable  con- 
clusions. He  did  much  corresponding  with  a  gentleman,  also 
unquestionably  a  man  of  philosophic  bent.  The  contrast  in 
their  letters  is  strikingly  sharp.  Dabney's  mode  of  discussion 
is  as  just  stated.  No  intelligent  reader  can  be  in  doubt  of  his 
meaning  from  the  first  sentence  on.  The  gentleman  referred  to, 
however,  goes  to  philosophizing  about  the  reader  knows  not 
what  until  he  is  almost  through  the  letter.  The  philosophy  is 
''far-away."  There  was,  again,  never  absent-mindedness  about 
Dr.  Dabney.  He  would  never  have  cut  a  hole  for  the  big  cat  to 
get  through  his  door,  and  then  cut  another  beside  it  for  the  little 
cat  to  get  through ;  nor  would  he,  as  is  related  of  a  great  histo- 
rian, ever  have  proposed  to  trade  his  pig  off  for  a  smaller  one, 
simply  because  his  had  gotten  too  large  for  the  box  he  kept  it 
in.  If  such  absence  of  mind  were  a  necessary  characteristic  of 
extraordinary  men.  he  would  be  ruled  out  of  the  class,  not  only 
of  the  Sir  Isaac  Newtons,  but  of  the  Philip  Schaffs.  Indeed, 
he  had  no  patience  with  this  form  of  abstraction.  His  rule  was, 
this  one  thing  I  do — the  thing  in  hand  at  the  time.  No  man 
shows  common-sense  in  his  conduct,  always,  absolutely ;  but  it 
is  an  outstanding  feature  in  this  great  man's  life.  He  knew 
how  to  adapt  means  to  a  designed  end.  This  inherited  trait 
was  developed  and  sanctified  as  he  went  about  his  Master's 
work.    It  gave  immense  increase  of  efficiency  to  his  labors. 


552        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

This  man,  thus  highly  endowed  and  developing  under  the 
influence  of  his  environment,  the  God  of  all  grace,  and  his  own 
efforts,  has  appeared  before  the  world  in  many  important  roles, 
as  preacher,  teacher,  theologian,  philosopher,  political  econo- 
mist, statesman,  patriot,  member  of  his  family,  friend,  servant 
of  God.  the  great  conservative.  He  is  worthy  of  the  reader's 
taking  another  glimpse  of  him  in  these  functions. 

As  Preacher. 

He  was  a  preeminent  preacher  to  preachers,  and  to  an  audi- 
ence of  highly  intelligent  people  of  earnest  purpose.  He  had 
the  power  of  simplification  and  illustration  in  a  rare  degree; 
but  he  was  not  given  sufficiently  to  the  use  of  this  power  before 
the  average  audience.  He  saw  so  much  in  his  text,  so  many 
important  relations  and  bearings  of  the  truth  of  it,  and  he  was 
so  habitually  engaged  in  doing  his  thinking  in  concise  form  that 
he  unconsciously  put  any  but  a  very  superior  audience  to  paces 
which  many  could  not  hold.  It  was  like  a  giant's  endeavor  to 
make  little  children  step  the  distance  of  his  own  swinging 
strides.  This  was  not  so  true  of  him  in  his  younger  days  as  it 
became  in  his  prime.  Li  the  days  of  his  pastorate  at  Tinkling 
Spring,  and  early  days  at  Hampden-Sidney,  he  was  more  given 
to  descriptive  preaching  than  in  his  later  days,  not  that  he  was 
not  always  didactic — and  he  used  to  capture  his  audience  with 
these  bursts  of  descriptive  eloquence.  In  those  days  the  people 
liked  to  hear  him  preach.  They  gave  proof  of  it  by  crowding 
his  audience  rooms.  The  same  thing  was  true  of  his  preaching 
in  the  army.  His  preaching  gripped  the  men  of  the  line,  many 
of  whom,  however,  were  as  intelligent  and  vigorous  in  mind  as 
their  officers ;  but  his  long  work  as  a  teacher  told  on  his  preach- 
ing. It  became  the  sort  for  men  who  could  think,  and  were 
willing  to  do  it.  The  great  impression  he  made  was  of  didactic 
power.  He  seemed  to  be  clearing  with  huge  instruments  the 
highway  of  truth  for  men  to  walk  in.  with  a  threat  of  awful 
consequences  if  they  did  not  walk  in  it,  and  a  promise  of  glory 
if  they  should  walk  in  it.  The  whole  appearance  and  port  of 
the  man  made  for  this  impression :  stalwart  in  form,  he  was 
about  six  feet  in  height,  and  in  his  mature  years  weighed  about 
one  hundred  and  ninety  povmds,  with  an  expansive  and  nobly 
shaped  brow,  powerful,  deeply  set  dark  eyes,  a  well  shaped  nose, 
expressive  mouth  and  lips,  a  lower  face  speaking  of  the  utmost 


Summary  \^ie\v  of  the  Man  and  his  Services.      553 

will  power,  standing  with  feet  adjusted  to  give  him  the  stablest 
equilibrium,  this  whole  stalwart  frame  often  quivering  from  the 
mighty  soul  fires  within.  His  speech  was  the  speech  of  a  great 
teacher,  rapid,  but  not  too  rapid  for  every  word  to  be  heard, 
his  words  chosen  for  their  didactic  power,  the  stream  of  this 
didactic  eloquence  colored  by  allusion,  classic  and  other,  spiced 
by  illustration,  sometimes  homely,  but  always  apt,  sometimes 
witty,  often  without  much  more  than  feeble  signs  of  suppressed 
feeling,  sometimes  aglow  with  heat,  and  sometimes  white  with 
intense  passion.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  after  the  death  of  Thorn- 
well  there  was  no  minister  in  his  communion  who  was  counted 
his  equal  in  ability  as  a  preacher  to  his  brethren.  They  liked  to 
hear  him,  for  one  reason,  because  he  gave  them  materials  for 
from  two  to  half  a  dozen  sermons  in  one  of  his.  He  sometimes 
wrote  his  sermons  and  memorized  them.  This  seems  to  have 
been  his  custom  on  very  important  occasions.  He  sometimes 
wrote  and  delivered  from  the  manuscript,  having  thoroughly 
acquainted  himself  with  it.  He  sometimes  prepared  careful 
briefs  and  spoke  from  them.  He  sometimes  dashed  off  a  brief, 
or  a  fully  written  sermon,  and,  with  the  bare  outline  of  the 
subject  firmly  fixed  in  his  mind,  went  into  the  pulpit,  depending 
on  the  dress  and  lesser  features  coming  in  the  delivery.  These 
were  often  the  most  appreciated  by  the  people.  He  always 
prepared.  If  pushed  for  time,  he  took  subjects  on  which  he 
had  long  pondered,  and  was  red-hot. 

As  Teacher. 

He  was  the  greatest  teacher  that  most  of  his  pupils  ever 
knew.  Such,  at  any  rate,  was  the  judgment  of  two-thirds  or 
three-fourths  of  the  men  that  passed  under  him,  this  two-thirds 
or  three-fourths  embracing  its  fair  proportion  of  strong  and 
gifted  students  who  have  themselves  become  distinguished.  He 
did  more  than  any  other  man  of  his  generation  to  impress  the 
peculiar  type  of  theology  characteristic  of  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Church  between  the  years  of  1865  and  1895  upon  that 
church.  He  did  more  to  arouse  to  fuller  mental  life,  to  develop 
to  the  utmost  their  independence  and  vigor  of  mind,  to  tone 
their  characters  up  to  rock-like  firmness  than  any  other  teacher 
they  had  ever  known.  He  had  the  essential  faculty  to  successful 
teaching,  of  getting  at  the  positions  of  his  pupils,  comprehend- 
ing the^r  difficulties,  putting  himself  in  their  places.     He  was 


554        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

certain  of  his  ground,  dogmatic  in  the  good  sense, ^  unmistak- 
ably clear  and  decided  in  the  repudiation  of  error,  being  moved, 
after  a  sort,  as  he  was  who  said,  "The  zeal  of  thy  house  hath 
eaten  me  up."  The  student  always  knew  where  Dabney  stood, 
and  whither  he  led.  He  believed,  too,  that  "feeling  is  the  tem- 
perature of  thought."  was  not  ashamed  to  be  seen  to  feel  for  the 
truth ;  went  out  in  his  great  heart  with  it.  Hence  the  truth  he 
taught  burnt  in  on  the  student,  made  an  indelible  impression. 
He  had  that  other  rare  faculty  of  the  rare  and  exceptionally 
great  teacher,  of  seeming  to  reproduce  himself,  in  a  measure,  in 
his  pupils.  They  say,  "He  not  only  gave  to  us  his  truth,  but 
himself."  ^  He  begot  in  his  men  something  akin  to  his  own 
vigor  and  strength,  his  love  of  truth  and  God. 

His  method  of  teaching  was  his  own,  a  combination  of  the 
use  of  the  text-book,  reading  of  collateral,  securing  students' 
own  treatment  of  the  subject,  and  giving  his  own  treatment  as 
a  final  summary  treatment. 

His  method  in  the  teaching  of  philosophy  in  the  University, 
to  which  he  gave  a  dozen  years  of  his  life,  was  similar,  but  with 
changes  adapted  to  the  smaller  degree  of  education  of  the 
students  he  was  teaching.  He  had  to  require  less  reading  of 
collateral  and  less  of  the  writing  of  essays  on  the  subjects 
treated.  The  student  was  required  to  read  assigned  matter  in 
one  or  more  text-books,  to  hear  his  lecture  on  the  same  subject, 
and  was  then  at  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  class  rigorously 
quizzed.  His  manner  here  was  much  the  same  as  it  had  been 
in  the  Seminary,  and  he  was  universally  esteemed  by  all  his 
students  of  energy,  talent  and  character,  as  making  an  impres- 
sion on  them  of  power  such  as  no  other  man  had  made. 

His  men  all  felt  free  to  ask  questions  and  to  state  objections. 
He  was  peculiarly  ready  to  receive  blows,  naturally.  It  was  a 
part  of  his  plan,  in  the  treatment  of  a  topic,  to  state  the  objec- 
tions to  his  thesis  in  the  strongest  possible  manner.     He  could 

''He  had  a  right  to  be;  he  had  mastered  his  subject,  had  analyzed 
it  clearly,  had  the  salient  elements  set  forth  in  terse,  clear,  vigorous 
language,  and  the  aptest  illustrations  for  every  point. 

°  There  is  a  strange  transforming  power  in  the  vision  of  a  great 
character.  A  great  man  transforms  his  friends  by  letting  them  look  on 
him.  This  is  a  familiar  fact  of  human  experience,  with  an  analogue 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  for  it  is  said  in  God's  Word  that  in  the  per- 
fected kingdom  '"we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 
Dr.  Dabney  showed  himself  to  his  pupils,  as  to  friends,  as  he  was. 


Summary  \'ie\v  of  the  ■Max  and  his  Services.      555 

state  them  usually  not  only  more  strongly  than  any  man  before 
him,  but  so  strongly  as  to  appall  his  friends  as  apparently  de- 
structive of  his  position.  Another  part  of  his  plan,  however, 
as  was  habitually  discovered,  \v-as  to  reduce  the  objections  to 
nullities.  Thoroughness  and  power  and  impressiveness  were 
great  and  constant  features  of  his  teaching.  He  did  not  always 
carry  every  student  with  him,  but  he  made  the  impression  on 
every  man  that  he  was  a  master  who  took  position  only  for 
cause,  a  master  of  subtle,  profound  and  vast  powers,  one  who 
could  reason,  and  one  who  knew  the  word  of  God. 

As  A  Theologiax. 

Dr.  Dabney  won  for  himself  a  place  amongst  the  few  greatest 
theologians  hitherto  produced  on  the  American  continent.  His 
place  in  theology  may  be  roughly  indicated  as  follows :  He  was 
a  moderate,  but  thorough-going  Calvinist,  believing  himself  in 
thorough  harmony  with  the  doctrinal  portion  of  the  Westmin- 
ster Standards,  of  which  he  was  perhaps  the  most  sympathetic 
and  able  expounder  in  his  century.  He  is  the  most  biblical  of 
the  great  American  theologians.  His  exposition  and  defence  of 
the  Westminster  Standards  is  more  of  the  nature  of  an  exposi- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  bearing  on  the  parts  of  the  system.  While 
he  uses  profound  common-sense  philosophy  in  illustration  of 
the  teaching  of  Scripture,  and  as  a  subsidiary  support  for  those 
teachings,  it  is  confidently  believed  that  neither  Shedd  nor 
Thornwell,  nor  either  the  Hodges  has  relied  so  little  on  philos- 
ophy, or  paid  such  high  and  constant  deference  to  the  Scrip- 
tures. Not  that  anv  one  of  these  grand  men  did  not  regard 
the  Word  of  the  Lord  as  final,  but  that  in  practice  no  one  of 
them  made  so  much  of  the  "thus  saith  the  Lord,"  in  comparison 
with  his  philosophical  arguments.  Not  one  of  them  was  so 
profound  a  philosopher— no,  not  even  Thornwell ;  but  not  one 
of  them  had  such  profound  humility,  or  saw  so  clearly  the 
infinite  difference  between  the  profoundest  human  speculation 
and  the  absolute  teaching  of  God's  Word. 

Soon  after  his  death  we  wrote  of  his  humility  and  regard 
for  the  Word  of  God  in  his  teaching,  what  fuller  study  of  his 
life  and  work  has  more  than  confirmed,  viz. : 

"In  a  man  of  such  mental  power  one  might,  at  the  first  moment. 
expect  an  attempt  at  daring  and  rationalistic  speculation-an  attempt  to 
solve  the  insoluble,  or.  in  event  of  failure,  to  deny  the  inscrutable  as  to 


556        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

fact.  But  no  man  of  our  acquaintance  has  recognized  the  limitations 
of  the  finite  mind  n^ore  steadily  than  Dr.  Dabney.  He  stands  in  this 
respect  in  distinguished  contrast  to  some  other  great  and  conservative 
men  of  the  age.  The  venerable  Dr.  William  G.  T.  Shedd,  for  example, 
appears  to  many  of  his  readers  just  as  confident  when  he  is  setting 
forth  the  results  of  his  own  philosophical  speculations  as  when  he  has 
in  the  plain  declarations  of  Scripture  the  immediate  support  of  his 
teaching.  Somewhat  of  the  same  confidence  as  to  results  reached  by  a 
long  process  of  reasoning  and  a  good  deal  of  assumption  is  found  in 
other  of  our  great  standard  writers.  If  there  is  any  of  this  in  Dr. 
Dabney's  works  it  occupies  a  relatively  small  space.  How  often  does  the 
reader  of  his  work  on  Theology  remark  the  author  deploring  'over- 
refinements'  and  'undue  subtlety'  on  the  part  of  theologians.  He  does 
not  like  the  distinction  between  mediate  and  immediate  imputation. 
He  declares  that  the  question  between  the  supra-lapsarianism  and  the 
sub-lapsarianism  'never  ought  to  have  been  raised' ;  that  either  answer 
is  illogical.  And  when  discussing  the  origin  of  the  human  soul,  he 
will  not  commit  himself  either  to  the  theory  of  creationism  or  to  that  of 
traducianism.  He  presents  the  arguments  for  each  with  great  force. 
He  presents  the  objections  to  each  more  strongly  than  we  have  found 
them  stated  elsewhere,  and  then  says :  'With  such  difficulties  besetting 
both  sides,  it  will  be  best,  perhaps,  to  leave  the  subject  as  an  absolute 
mystery.  What  an  opprobrium  to  the  pride  of  human  philosophy,  that 
it  should  be  unable  to  answer  the  very  first  and  nearest  question  as 
to  its  own  origin.'  He  planted  himself  on  Scripture  teaching  as  upon 
a  rock.  No  man  has  shown  a  more  devoted  allegiance  to  the  Word  of 
God.  He  is  ever  going  to  'the  law  and  to  the  testimony.'  Where  the 
Bible  asserts,  he  asserts  with  all  positiveness.  But  in  cases  where  the 
teaching  of  the  Word  is  not  clear,  and  where  human  speculation  dares 
intrude,  he  at  once  throws  out  emphatic  caveats.  Until  the  results  of 
philosophical  speculation  had  been  thoroughly  tried  he  was  distrustful. 
Like  a  few  of  the  very  greatest  men,  he  had  a  true  sense  of  the  littleness 
in  grasp  and  power  of  the  greatest  finite  intelligence  in  the  presence  of 
the  being  and  mystery  of  an  infinite  God  and  his  ways." 

Dabney's  Theology  marks  him  otit  .as  very  mtich  stiperior  to 
Dr.  Charles  Hodge  as  a  thinker  of  proftmdity  and  power,  and  a 
stimulator  of  thought.  Hodge's  great  three-volume  work  is 
very  valuable  as  a  sort  of  encyclopedia  of  theological  belief ; 
but  for  exposition  and  vindication  of  the  creed,  which  they  held 
in  common,  for  wrestling  faithfully  with  hard  points,  for  mas- 
tery of  difficulties.  Dabney  is  vastly  superior.  The  three  great 
American  theologians  of  the  century  were  Shedd.  Thorn  well, 
and  Dabney.  The  two  former  excelled  in  their  expression. 
Shedd  commanded  a  style  of  classic  purity  and  chaste  elegance. 


Summary  \'ie\v  of  the  Max  and  his  Services.      557 

Thornwell  commanded  equal  purity  and  equal  elegance  and 
fervid  eloquence.  Dabney's  style,  in  his  theology,  while  terse 
and  powerful,  is  often  raw,  but,  nevertheless,  it  has  hands  and 
feet,  it  moves  and  grapples.  Of  these  three,  Dabney's  theologi- 
cal writings  entitle  him  to  the  highest  place.  The  scriptural 
basis  from  which  he  reasons  is  larger,  the  treatment  of  the  more 
vexed  and  intricate  questions  is,  to  say  the  least,  equally  pro- 
found, and  his  modesty,  humility,  and  readiness  to  acknowledge 
the  large  residuum  of  the  inexplicable,  more  marked;  his 
philosophy  is  clear  of  the  realism  of  Augustine,  which  affects 
Shedd ;  it  is  of  the  great  Scotch  school,  but  rising  high  above 
the  domination  of  Sir  William  Hamilton,  who  made  too  great 
an  impression  on  Thornwell.  It  is  not  forgotten  that  Dr. 
Thornwell  was  cut  down  early  m  life,  and  that,  had  he  had  the 
chance  for  further  development  and  the  full  exposition  of  his 
system,  the  comparison  might  result  differently.  What  is  main- 
tained in  this  estimate  is  that  Dabney's  writings  entitle  him  to 
the  first  place  amongst  the  theological  thinkers  and  writers  of 
his  century.  Moreover,  the  peculiar  genius  of  Dabney's  expo- 
sition of  the  theology  of  the  Christian  Scriptures  brings  him 
into  closer  accord  with  the  great  Calvin  himself,  in  several 
essential  particulars,  than  any  other  modern  American  theo- 
logian is  brought  by  his  system.  Calvin  and  Dabney  are  alike 
remarkable  for  never  dodging  hard  problems,  and  for  never 
slurring  them  over.  Every  student  of  Calvin  knows  this  to  be 
true  of  the  great  Genevan.  Every  student  of  Dabney,  when 
wrestling  with  a  difficulty  in  the  Calvinistic  system,  pulls  down 
Dabney  with  the  confident  expectation  of  seeing  him  resolutely 
grapple  with  that  difficulty.  He  never  dodged.  It  is  singular, 
again,  that  certain  distinctions  that  Calvin  did  not  make.  Dab- 
ney would  not  make,  declaring  them  to  be  illogical ;  nor  can  it 
be  charged  that  he  was  a  blind  disciple  of  Calvin  here,  for  he 
argues  in  his  own  way  against  their  illogical  nature.  Calvin 
did  not,  and  probably  would  not,  make  the  distinction  between 
supralapsarian  and  sublapsarian.  Beza.  the  immediate  disciple 
of  Calvin,  made  it.  Dabney  says,  and  argues,  that  it  should 
never  have  been  made.  Calvin  never  made  the  distinction  be- 
tween mediate  and  immediate  miputation,  whatever  partisans 
may  claim.  Dabney  holds  that  the  distinction  is  illogical,  and 
should  never  have  been  made.  This  was  one  of  two  great 
points  on  which  he  criticised  his  friend,  the  venerable  and  hon- 
ored Princeton  theologian,  the  other  point  being  as  to  the  primal 


00^ 


Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 


seat  of  sin,  and  consequently  the  faculty  of  man  primarily 
affected  in  regeneration.  Again,  Dabney  was  preeminently  like 
Calvin  in  his  humility  of  mind  before  God.  In  dealing  with  a 
mysterious  and  glorious  truth,  Calvin  now  and  then  gives  ex- 
pression to  the  thought  that  the  sacred  writers  themselves 
wonder  at  and  rejoice  in  it  rather  than  explain  it,  and  that  it  is 
not  his  to  explain  it.  In  like  manner,  Dabney  is  found  acknow- 
ledging the  limitations  of  the  human  mind  to  comprehend  what 
is  nevertheless  to  be  accepted.  Again,  Calvin's  system  is  emi- 
nently biblical.  His  philosophy,  really  that  of  "common-sense," 
was  duly  subordinated.  There  was  vast  difference  between 
these  men,  difference  in  body  and  in  the  rate  of  development. 
Thornwell  was  much  like  Calvin  in  physique,  and  in  his  phen- 
omenally early  development,  and  in  many  noble  features  of  his 
character ;  but  the  character  of  the  Institutes,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  Dabney 's  Syllabus,  on  the  other,  are  being  compared,  in 
regard  to  certain  great  principles,  giving  form  to  these  expo- 
sitions of  Scripture.  The  comparison  results  in  the  conclusion 
that  the  man  who  was  given  to  Geneva  and  the  world  would 
have  felt  closer  to  Robert  L.  Dabney  than  to  any  great  modern 
exponent  of  the  system  which  goes  by  the  great  Genevan's 
name. 

As  A  Philosopher. 

!Many  of  Dr.  Dabney's  friends  and  admirers  have  claimed 
for  him  a  nobler  preeminence  as  a  philosopher  than  as  a  theo- 
logian, and  as  such  he  seems  to  have  been  without  a  peer  in 
America.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  the  father  of  Princeton 
Seminary,  has  been  called  the  Emmanuel  Kant  of  North 
America,  and  his  little  book  on  moral  science,  so  clear  that  its 
depths  are  never  remarked  by  the  superficial,  entitles  him  to 
noble  rank  as  a  great  philosopher ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that 
he  was  competent  to  do  what  Dabney  did.  He  perceived  and 
held  certain  truths  in  the  sphere  of  morals.  Dr.  Dabney  per- 
ceived and  held  these  and  other  great  truths  in  the  same  sphere, 
and  he  crushed  the  objections  to  these  truths,  and  vindicated 
our  knowledge  of  them,  our  right  to  hold  them,  as  Dr.  Alex- 
ander did  not,  and,  perhaps,  could  not  do.  For  sheer  philo- 
sophic mental  might,  we  suppose  that  old  Jonathan  Edwards 
was  more  nearly  Dr.  Dabney's  equal.  Even  in  this  case,  the 
greater  caution  of  Dabney  pulls  the  balance  in  his  favor.  How- 
ever, it  is  to  be  remembered  that  Dabney  stood  on  the  shoulders 
of  both  Edwards  and  Archibald  Alexander. 


Summary  \'ie\v  of  the  :Man  and  his  Services.      559 

Dabney  has  described  his  philosophic  position  in  a  general 
way  more  than  once,  by  declaring  that  he  held  the  Scotch 
Philosophy  of  common-sense.  He  has  thus  declared  himself, 
in  accord  with  fact,  as  ontologically  a  theist,  a  Christian  theist. 
He  held  that  there  is  one  substance  uncreated,  unconditioned, 
independent,  eternal,  spiritual,  that  is  God ;  and  that  he,  by 
the  fiat  of  his  will,  brought  into  existence  finite,  created  exist- 
ences of  two  kinds,  matter  and  spirit ;  that  there  are,  therefore, 
subsequent  to  creation  by  the  Absolute,  three  forms  of  exist- 
ence. He  held  that  God,  while  transcendent  to,  is  immanent 
in  creation.  He  condemned  as  unphilosophical  ^Materialism, 
which  teaches  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  spirit.  Idealism, 
both  of  the  Berkleyan  and  modern  German  absolute  tvpes, 
which  deny  the  existence  of  matter,  or  matter  and  substance; 
Pantheism,  which  represents  thought  and  extension  as  attri- 
butes of  one  only  existing  substance;  every  form  of  Monism, 
materialistic  or  idealistic ;  and,  as  well,  he  condemns  deism. 
He  has  condemned  every  form  of  atheism,  avowed  or  implicit. 
In  describing  himself  as  belonging  to  the  Scotch  School,  he 
has  further  taught  that  in  the  philosophy  of  the  human  mind 
he  repudiates  the  fundamental  tenets  of  the  school  of  sensa- 
tional philosophers  (whom  he  prefers  to  call  sensualistic 
philosophers),  that  "there  is  no  notion  in  the  human  mind  that 
has  not  originated  in  the  senses."  His  "Sensualistic  Philosophy 
of  the  Nineteenth  Century  Considered"  is  one  of  the  greatest 
philosophic  philippics  ever  penned.  He  holds  up  this  philoso- 
phy, sensational  philosophy  as  set  forth  by  Hobbes,  the  "hard- 
mouthed,"  by  Condilac.by  Helevetius.by  St.  Lambert,  by  James 
Alill,  by  the  school  of  positivism,  by  the  physiological  material- 
ists, and  by  others,  notably  the  great  but  wabbling  Locke,  to 
contempt.  He  teaches  them  with  Des  Cartes  and  Leibnitz  and 
Wolf,  Bishop  Buller  and  Emmanuel  Kant,  and  Richard  Price 
and  T.  H.  Reid,  that  there  is  something  in  the  mind  which  does 
not  originate  in  the  senses,  the  mind  itself  with  its  power  to 
know  that  class  of  truths  known  as  primary  cognitions,  innate 
ideas,  first  truths:  and  in  his  chapter,  in  this  work,  on  the 
validity  of  a  priori  notions,  and  in  that  on  the  origin  of  the 
a  priori  notions,  he  comes  close  to  showing  his  as  the  master 
mind  of  the  Scotch  School.  His  consideration  of  ]\Ionism  and 
Idealistic  ]\Ionism,  while  not  as  elaborate  as  that  of  the  Sensa- 
tional Philosophy,  is  characterized  by  the  same  insight  and 
power.     It  has  become  more  and  more  fashionable  in  his  day 


560        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dx\.bney. 

to  be  a  "monist"  ;  but  he  not  only  saw  no  reasons  for  becoming 
one,  he  brought  some  unanswerable  indictments  against  it.  If 
it  be  undertaken  to  set  forth  Dr.  Dabney's  affinities  with  refer- 
ence to  the  more  distinguished  representatives  of  the  Scotch 
School,  it  must  be  said  that  he  admired  Reid  more  than  Hamil- 
ton, as  a  thinker;  that  he  usually  found  himself  on  the  side 
of  Reid  in  cases  wherein  Hamilton  differs ;  that  he  regarded 
many  of  Hamilton's  innovations  as  foreign  to  the  very  genius 
of  the  Common-sense  system.  Particularly,  he  did  not  agree 
with  Hamilton  in  his  doctrine  of  consciousness  as  the  generic, 
universal  or  inclusive  faculty.  He  made  it,  with  Reid,  a  par- 
ticular faculty.  He  would  not  say,  "I  am  conscious  of  a  tree ;" 
but,  with  Reid,  "I  am  conscious  of  the  perception  of  a  tree." 
His  theory  of  perception  was  also  more  like  Reid's,  but  much 
more  fully  wrought  out  and  clarified  of  errors.  He  deplored 
in  Hamilton  his  speculations  concerning  the  relative  validity 
of  human  cognitions,  and  his  doctrine  of  "the  unconditioned"  ; 
and  he  shows  that  the  extravagances  of  Hamilton,  where  they 
are  not  the  results  of  verbal  ambiguities,  are  the  fruits  of  a 
sensualistic  heresy  foisted  into  the  bosom  of  a  rational  system.'^ 
The  most  elaborate  piece  of  work  in  the  sphere  of  Mental 
Philosophy  by  Dr.  Dabney,  after  his  "Sensualistic  Philosophy 
Considered,"  was  his  Inductive  Logic.  This  discussion  has 
never  received  the  circulation  which  its  great  merits  warrant. 
In  this  work  he  made  a  distinct  and  important  contribution 
to  English  literature  on  the  subject — a  contribution  which  does 
more  to  show  what  the  true  nature  of  inductive  reasoning  is, 
and  to  vindicate  its  validity,  than  any  other  one  English  writer 
whose  works  have  obtained  general  circulation. 

In  the  sphere  of  Practical  Philosophy,  Dr.  Dabney  ranked 
even  higher.  The  Rev.  A.  R.  Cocke,  D.  D.,  a  man  of  broad 
study  and  reading  in  this  department,  wrote  of  Dabney's  Prac- 
tical Philosophy  on  its  publication: 

"Dabney's  name  will  abide  because  of  several  distinct  additions  to  the 
philosophy  of  the  ages  as  presented  in  this  volume.  The  Practical 
Philosophy  can  take  rank  beside  Kant's  Critique  of  the  Practical 
Reason. 

Dabney  will  ever  rank  above  Brown,  McCosh,  and  a  host  of  other 
writers,  upon  the  Feelings,  because  of  the  simple  and  complete  analysis 
and  classification  of  the  Feelings   presented.     All  other  classifications 

"  See  Chapter  X.  of  the  Sensualistic  Philosopliy.  etc. 


Summary  Yiew  of  the  Man  and  his  Service.       561 

leave  men  in  the  haze;  Dabney  maps  out  the  whole  field  with  the  hand 
of  a  master.  His  proof  that  the  whole  subject  is  covered  by  a  dichotomy 
into  passive  sensibilities  and  active  appetencies  brings  light  into  dark- 
ness, and  gives  us  a  clue  by  which  to  thread  the  labyrinth.  The  section 
of  his  book  on  the  Classification  of  the  Feelings  is  worth  its  weight  in 
gold.  McCosh's  whole  book  on  the  Emotions  is  not  worth  this  one 
chapter.  In  this  chapter  Dabney  has  placed  the  philosophic  world  under 
lasting  obligations. 

"Dabney  is  to  be  congratulated  on  his  honest  statement  of  the  entire 
content  of  consciousness.  He  does  not  shut  his  eyes  to  the  fact  that 
among  the  appetencies  is  the  desire  of  sinful  self-will.  The  astute 
Kant  recognized  this  fact;  Dabney  confirms  and  completes  his 
analysis. 

"Dabney's  exposition  of  Free  Agency  is  by  far  the  most  satisfactory 
I  have  ever  seen.  Edwards'  masterly  work  on  the  will  cannot  equal 
our  author's  discussion,  either  in  clearness  or  in  full  bringing  to  light 
of  all  the  facts  of  consciousness  which  bear  upon  this  supreme  theme. 
Dabney  solves  the  problem  and  easily  unties  this  difficult  knot. 

"Let  the  scholar  follow  this  discussion  as  it  lays  bare  the  fundamental 
unanalyzable  fact  of  Disposition ;  the  law  of  Spontaneity  inherent  in  all 
disposition;  the  clear  distinction  between  Motive  and  Inducement;  the 
contrast  between  Active  Appetency  and  Passive  Sensibility;  the  causal 
tie  between  Motive  and  Volition ;  and  he  is  a  cold  man  indeed  if  he 
does  not  cry  out  'Eureka !' 

"It  had  for  years  been  his  mastery  of  philosophy  which  had,  in  the 
opinion  of  some  observing  men,  given  him  his  preeminence  as  a  theo- 
logian. This  had  not  been  the  sole  factor  in  that  preeminence,  unless 
it  was  also  the  cause  of  his  masterful  understanding  and  use  of  the 
Word  of  God.  But  while  relying  mainly  on  the  testimony  of  the  Word, 
in  every  resort  to  reasoning,  he  recurred  as  closely  as  possible  to  the 
prirhary  sources  of  conviction,  self-consciousness  and  intuitions.  This 
generally  clothes  his  reasoning  with  invincible  power.  As  a  philosopher, 
this  man  was  so  preeminent  that  it  is  safe  to  say  he  will  appear  larger 
to  men  one  hundred  years  from  now  than  he  did  to  his  contemporaries." 

As  A  Political  Economist. 

.  Dr.  Dabney  may  be  justly  regarded  as  a  great  layman  in  this 
science.  He  devoted  to  it  only  a  small  proportion  of  his  time 
and  efforts ;  but  he  carried  his  vast  energies  and  his  profound 
philosophic  powers  into  the  study,  he  carried  the  enormous 
treasures  gathered  from  discerning  reading,  and  eager,  pains- 
taking, penetrating,  comprehending  observation.  He  became 
an  able  teacher  and  writer  in  this  department.  The  type  of  his 
political  economy  may  be  roughly  indicated  by  saying  that  he 
36 


562        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

was  an  independent  disciple  of  Jean  Baptiste  Say,  the  great 
French  political  economist,  who  was  himself  the  same  sort  of 
disciple  of  the  celebrated  Adam  Smith.  These  men,  as  political 
economists,  had  theories,  but  they  were  ever  testing  their  theo- 
ries by  facts,  and  bringing  the  theories  into  harmony  with  the 
facts.  They  were  great  inductive  reasoners.  The  common- 
sense  philosophy  underlay  their  theory  of  political  economy. 
Dr.  Dabney  could  not  be  anything  else  than  a  free-trader.  He 
condemned  "protection"  as  inexpedient,  as  fostering  various 
agencies  and  combinations  by  which  one  part  of  a  people  robs 
another  part;  he  condemned  it  as  immoral,  a  robbery  of  one 
body  of  citizens  to  enrich  another.  He  gave  much  study  to 
currency  and  coinage  questions,  discerned  the  vast  importance 
to  the  welfare  of  a  people  of  a  stable  currency,  and  maintained 
the  propriety,  either  of  a  single  standard,  or  of  turning  gold 
and  silver  into  commodities,  doing  away,  in  their  use,  with 
fictitious  terms,  such  as  cents,  dollars,  and  so  forth.  He  would 
have  had  the  governments  coin  the  gold  and  silver  into  con- 
venient pieces,  stamping  each  piece  with  a  stamp  which  should 
certify  the  number  of  grains  of  the  particular  metal  in  the  piece, 
and  its  degree  of  fineness.  Men  then  would  make  sale  for  so 
many  grains  of  gold  or  silver  as  they  chose.  If  the  day  of  pay- 
ment were  remote,  and  silver  the  commodity  varying  little  in 
value,  the  seller  could  demand  payment  on  the  given  day,  in 
silver  or  in  gold,  at  its  market  price,  in  terms  of  silver  on  that 
day.  If  gold  were  the  unvarying  commodity,  it  might  be  made 
the  commodity  of  payment,  and  if  silver  were  offered  in  pay- 
ment the  amount  would  be  fixed  in  terms  of  gold  on  the  day 
of  payment.  It  would  no  doubt  be  very  troublesome  to  make 
the  change  in  any  country  from  the  fictitious  denominations 
now  in  use  to  this  use  of  the  precious  metals  as  commodities. 
But  were  the  plan  in  operation,  the  problems  connected  with 
finance  would  be  indefinitely  simplified.  The  effort  to  maintain 
any  given  ratio,  as  sixteen  to  one,  would  be  obviated ;  the 
relative  values  of  the  precious  metals  would  take  care  of  them- 
selves. Gresham's  law,  by  which  the  circulating  medium  of 
less  value,  drives  the  circulating  medium  of  more  value  out 
of  the  country,  could  no  longer  work.  His  work  in  this  depart- 
ment is  characterized  by  the  keenest  analysis,  broad  compre- 
hension of  facts  to  be  considered,  and  his  usual  trenchant 
criticism  of  opposing  theories,  and  powerful  reasoning  in  sup- 
port of  his  own. 


Summary  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Service.      563 


As  A  Statesman. 

Interest  in  civil  institutions  was  a  part  of  the  inheritance 
of  a  Virginia  gentleman.    Her  great  men  had  given  themselves 
generally  to  the  service  of  the  State.    It  was  inevitable  that  a 
youth  with  the  mind  of  Robert  L.  Dabney,  the  traditions  of  his 
family,  his  advantages  of  training,  should  study  the  political 
institutions  of  European  countries,  and  particularly  of  his  own 
State,  whatever  his  own  precise  calling.     His  keen  interest  as 
a  boy  as  to  the  questions  between  Whig  and  Democrat  has  been 
noted.     The  volcanic  political  life  of  our  country  about  the 
middle  quarter  of  the  century,  occasioned  his  profound  study 
of  the  great  constitutional  questions  by  which  the  country  was 
rent.     No  man  liked  more  to  put  his  thinking  on  paper  and 
through  the  press.     Newspaper  articles  flew  from  his  pen ;   he 
wrote  a  book,  Defense  of  Virginia  and  the  Sonth,  and  through 
years  subsequent  to  the  war  he  continued  to  write  in  vindica- 
tion of  the  Old  South.    It  was  a  characteristic  of  Dr.  Dabney's 
mind  that  he  reasoned  best  where  he  telt  most,  while  he  was 
sometimes   prevented  getting  the   clearest  view   of  the  plain 
whence  to  reason  by  feeling.    Fortunately,  he  had  long  famiUar- 
ized  himself  with  the  genius  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  and  the  rights  of  the  individual  States.    He  was  in  the 
circumstances  most  favorable  to  him,  therefore,  for  the  pro- 
duction of  a  great  work  in  defence  of  the  South,  in  the  year 
1862.     He  was  in  possession  of  the  facts,  had  grasped  them 
ere  the  conflict  came ;   he  was  excited  to  write  by  the  horrors 
of  invasion.     He  naturally  produced  an  able  book,  one  which 
has  often  been  pronounced  "the  ablest  defence  of  Virginia  and 
the  South  ever  written."     It  will  certainly  entitle  him,  though 
a   layman,    here   again,    to    rank   along   with   Alexander    H. 
Stephens  and  Jefferson  Davis,  who  have  written  more  elabo- 
ratelv,  but  not  more  ably,  nor  with  greater  grasp  of  fact  essen- 
tial to  their  respective  discussions.     Prior  to  the  war  he  was 
an  old-line  Union  Democrat.     Of  all  the  representatives  of 
Jefifersonian  Democracv,  he  had  the  greatest  respect  for  i\Ir. 
John  C.  Calhoun,  a  good  engraving  of  whose  face  he  kept  on 
his  study  walls.     He  read  and  studied  Calhoun  as  one  of  the 
o-reat  masters   on   constitutional   government.      But   he   could 
never  be  a  blind  disciple.     Independence  marked  his  work  m 
this  sphere,  as  in  all.    He  was  for  proving  all  things,  and  hold- 
ino-  fast  that  which  was  true.     He  looked  with  intense  dis- 


■564        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

pleasure  on  the  centralization  of  power,  and  on  every  departure 
irom  the  simplicity  proper  to  republican  forms  of  government ; 
on  the  extension  of  suffrage  to  the  vicious  and  incapable,  and 
on  the  rule  of  the  mere  numerical  majority.  He  hated  the 
absolute  democracy  to  which  our  country  seemed  for  a  time 
to  tend,  as  "mobocracy,"  which  would  give  way  to  an  oligarchy 
of  demagogues,  consciousless  plutocrats  and  tyrants.  He  per- 
haps understood  the  peculiar  white-man's-burden  of  the  South 
as  well  as  any  man  in  the  whole  South,  and  saw,  on  the  issue 
of  the  war  and  reconstruction,  many  steps  which  the  white 
man  would  be  driven  to  take  in  carrying  this  burden,  some  of 
which  he  has  now  been  driven,  by  hard  necessity,  to  take,  and 
more  of  which  he  will  soon  be  forced  to  take.  The  true,  prac- 
tical statesman  must  know  man,  and  particularly  his  own 
people.    These  Dabney  knew. 

I  As  A  Px\TRIOT. 

Love  of  country  burned  strongly  in  the  bosom  of  Robert  L. 
Dabney.  He  loved  his  own  hearthstone,  his  county,  his  State, 
the  country  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  He 
mourned  the  trampling  of  that  Constitution  into  the  mire  under 
the  influence  of  commercialism  and  greed  by  the  dominant 
section.  He  hated  abolitionism,  but  he  was  for  the  Union  as 
long  as  to  be  so  was  consistent  with  honor,  as  long  as  he  could 
be  pro-Union,  and  not  be  a  traitor  to  his  native  sovereign  State ; 
he  recognized  State  sovereignty  as  imbedded  in  the  Federal 
Constitution.  His  State  was  his  sovereign  under  God.  His 
love  for  his  State,  for  the  homes  of  friends  and  of  his  mother, 
and  of  his  wife  and  little  ones,  was  a  great  passion.  He  had 
such  an  irrepressible  feeling  of  love  for  these  and  the  whole 
country  prior  to  the  war  that,  minister  of  the  gospel,  pastor, 
teacher,  everything  that  he  was,  busiest  of  men,  he  had  time  to 
study  and  work  as  a  citizen  for  the  good  of  all.  He  had  been 
an  example  of  good  citizenship.  When  the  war  came,  he  poured 
out  his  vast  energies  with  a  passion  of  devotion.  He  sacrificed 
his  property,  his  time,  his  services,  often  attended  with  immi- 
nent risk  of  his  life,  for  he  was  not  a  member  of  the  staff  that 
shunned  danger  when  service  was  to  be  done.  He.  in  addition 
to  his  ordinary  staff  duties,  was  eyes  and  ears  to  his  chief  in 
battle,  and  ready  to  go  where  eyes  and  ears  were  needed.  He 
was  hands,  too,  and  not  above  sighting  cannon,  as  at  Port  Re- 


Summary  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Service.      565 

public.  He  wrecked  his  health  in  this  service.  His  sufferings 
at  the  humiliation  and  destruction,  bloodshed  and  ruin  of  his 
fair  land  caused  him  sufferings  second  only  to  those  with  which 
he  laid  his  three  little  sons  in  their  graves.  He  would  for  vears 
have  left  forever  the  devastated  South ;  but  it  was  clear  that  it 
was  not  because  he  had  ceased  to  love  her  soil  and  her  people. 
To  his  latest  breath,  he  never  ceased  to  love  her,  even  in  her 
degradation,  and  to  talk,  write,  and  labor  for  her  elevation,  for 
the  preservation  of  all  the  good  that  was  left,  the  elimination 
of  the  evil,  and  her  material,  but  especially  moral,  advancement. 
If  Bruce  and  Wallace  were  patriots,  or  Lee  and  Jackson,  then 
Dabney  was  also,  and  worthy  to  be  named  in  the  same  breath 
with  them,  for  the  energy  of  his  patriotic  passion  and  the  in- 
telligence of  it,  and  the  moral  quality  of  it. 

As  a  Friend. 

The  Rev.  J.  B.  Shearer,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  has  spoken  of  him  as 
a  friend  as  follows  : 

"Robert  L.  Dabney  as  a  friend !  Here  the  heart  swells  at  the  memory 
of  such  a  friend,  and  then  breaks  into  weeping  at  the  loss.  Dabney  and 
Sampson  loved  each  other  like  David  and  Jonathan.  He  poured  out  his 
great  heart  of  love  in  the  memorial  he  wrote  of  his  friend.  You  cannot 
read  it  without  measuring  the  depth  and  intensity  of  his  love.  He  loved 
with  all  his  heart.  He  did  nothing  by  halves.  It  is  not  always  under- 
stood that  true  love,  whether  it  be  of  wife,  or  child,  or  friend,  or  God, 
is  only  measured  by  the  heart's  capacity.  Loving  one  with  all  the  heart 
lessens  not  the  measure  for  others.  And  the  heart's  capacity  for  love 
is  only  enlarged  by  enlarging  the  circle  of  its  bestowment.  How  wide 
was  his  circle  of  friends,  and  how  large  a  heart  he  gave  !" 

This  fine  tribute  is  no  more  than  just.  He  was  a  loving, 
loyal  friend,  with  a  generous  regard  for  his  friends  that  ennobled 
every  one  of  them,  and  put  them,  while  under  his  influence,  to 
doing  their  best.  His  friendship  w'as  delightful  to  all  classes, 
especially  to  the  young,  because  of  his  perpetual  youth.  He 
never  grew  old. 

Some  old  men,  even  old  men  of  power  and  talents,  seem  to 
lose  interest  in  movements  contemporary  to  their  old  age.  They 
were  once  interested  in  all  the  new  isms,  movements  in  church 
or  state  for  good  or  evil,  but  it  is  no  longer  so.  They  are 
willing  for  young  men  to  study  the  new  departures,  but  they 
did  their  studvingr  of  the  like  thirtv  vears  ago.     Dr.  Dabney's 


566        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

interest  in  the  things  about  him,  and  in  events  in  the  great 
world  at  large  never  seemed  to  wane.  He  remained  a  learner 
as  long  as  he  lived.  He  sought  new  information  with  avidity. 
No  wide-awake  young  man  distanced  him  in  this.  He  wished 
to  know  about  every  movement  which  was  likely  to  afifect,  for 
weal  or  woe,  the  fortunes  of  any  considerable  number  of  people. 
Think  of  Dr.  Dabney,  when  seventy  years  old  and  stone  blind, 
calling  on  an  apostle  of  the  Christian  Science,  who  chanced  to 
be  creating  a  great  commotion  among  a  certain  class  in  Austin ! 
Of  course,  he  found  nothing  to  approve  in  that  mixture  of  alle- 
gorizing mysticism,  rationalistic  pantheism  and  infidelity;  but 
he  was  enabled  the  better  to  do  some  quiet  polemic  work  in  a 
quarter  where  it  was  needed.  Think  of  his  sending  a  young 
friend  not  only  to  meetings  of  Salvation  Army  people,  but  to 
the  performances  of  a  peripatetic  phrenologist  that  he  might 
get  a  more  trustworthy  report  than  he  could  secure  through 
other  means.  Other  old  men  may  say :  "Oh !  it  is  well  enough 
for  you  young  men  to  be  interested  in  such  movements.  You 
have  your  battles  to  fight,  but  I  have  fought  mine.  I  care 
nothing  about  these."  Dr.  Dabney  never  felt  that  way.  He 
kept  young  to  the  last.  He  was,  on  this  account,  exceedingly 
attractive  to  young  men.  They  found  him  ever  putting  himself 
on  the  same  plane  with  them — ready  to  learn  what  interested 
them  with  all  zest. 

There  are  few  men  who,  with  his  positiveness  and  unyielding 
adherence  to  his  convictions,  could  make  and  hold  so  many 
friends  in  such  delightful  relations  of  enthusiastic  regard.  But 
love  begets  love,  and  he  had  a  greatness  of  the  faculty  of  pure 
love.  His  great  big  heart  had,  like  Luther's,  to  go  out  power- 
fully on  those  about  him  who  were  worthy. 

As  Servant  of  God. 

In  all  these  phases  of  his  life  Dabney  was  somewhat  more 
than  preacher,  teacher,  theologian,  philosopher,  economist, 
statesman,  patriot,  friend :  he  was  servant  of  God.  That  was 
his  characteristic  everywhere  and  always.  He  was  the  servant 
of  that  God  who  has  revealed  his  will  in  the  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments.  That  will  he  tried  to  make  the 
law  of  his  life.  He  was  not  a  sinless  man.  His  massive  nature 
was  qualified  all  through  his  long  and  vexed  life  with  sin;  but 
grace  dominated.     Recruits  who  knew  him,  in  the  war-time. 


Summary  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Service.      567 

first  as  Major  Dabney,  marked  his  rough  impatience  with  dis- 
order, neghgence,  lagging,  slowness  in  moving  into  line  of 
battle,  marked  his  voice,  strident  and  hoarse  with  passion,  in 
the  heat  of  conflict,  were  surprised  to  see  him  on  the  following 
Sunday,  perhaps,  mount  a  log,  announce  a  hymn,  read  the 
Scriptures,  pray,  and  go  to  preaching.  But  they  soon  got  to 
believing  in  him.  They  saw  him,  on  every  opportunity,  minis- 
tering to  the  wounded  and  the  sick,  and  in  a  hundred  thought- 
ful ways  doing  good.  They  saw  in  him  a  rare  honesty,  sim- 
plicity and  singleness  of  purpose.  Throughout  his  life  the  sin- 
cerity and  honesty  of  his  faith  in  the  God  of  the  Christian 
Scriptures  impressed  itself  upon  friend  and  foe.  Religion  was 
never  a  sham  with  him.  It  was  the  business  of  his  life.  An 
intelligent  woman  recently  said  of  Dr.  Dabney's  manner  in 
some  of  his  writings  and  addresses,  'Tt  was  inevitable."  He 
usually  saw  things  according  to  the  truth.  He  knew  this.  He 
loved  the  truth.  To  him  it  was  the  great  thing  in  the  world. 
He  was  so  honest,  so  sincere,  that  it  was  inevitable  that  in  the 
defence  of  what  he  believed  to  be  true,  what  he  had  laid  hold 
of  with  such  affection,  he  should  show  a  zeal  that  would  seem 
rude  to  the  lukewarm  or  the  indifferent,  or  to  those  who  did 
not  agree  with  him  that  his  view  was  true.  The  intensity  of 
his  loyalty  to  God  made  it  inevitable.  The  key-note  of  his  life 
is  sounded  in  that  paper  to  his  sons : 

"Follow  God  fully  without  turning  aside.  I  have  often  devoted  all 
of  you  to  God,  and  there  is  nothing  I  have  so  much  at  heart  as  this, 
that  you  may  indeed  be  the  Lord's  ;  and  if  you  turn  aside  from  this 
way,  I  will  have  this  as  a  witness  against  you  in  the  day  of  the  Lord." 

As  a  holy  man,  he  deserves  to  be  ranked  with  Augustine  and 
Calvin,  Owen  and  Baxter  and  Edwards. 

The  Great  Conservative. 

Conservatism  was  with  Dr.  Dabney  a  trait  and  a  function 
of  service.  He  was  acquainted  with  the  dii  ma  jorum  gentium, 
the  great  master  teachers  and  thinkers  of  the  ages.  He  had 
mastered  them.  He  knew  that  they  were  not  fools  ;  that,  under 
the  good  hand  of  God,  they  had  gotten  hold  of  much  truth; 
that  they  were  in  the  great  current  of  truth.  He  would  not  be 
swept  out  into  little  by-currents,  eddies  and  whirlpools  by  the 
strongest  winds  and  waves  of  the  ccit-glicisf.     He  not  only 


568        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

would  not  be  carried  away  himself,  he  would  serve  the  church 
and  men  by  holding  them  in  the  great  channel  of  truth.  He  was 
accordingly  a  conservative  teacher  in  theology,  philosophy  and 
statesmanship.  He  was  always  and  everywhere  applying  the 
inspired  precept,  "Prove  all  things;  hold  fast  that  which  Is 
good."  He  was  consequently  at  war  with  much  in  his  age : 
with  the  atheistic  and  infidel  theories  of  physical  science  which 
have  so  largely  prevailed ;  with  the  various  forms  of  evolution, 
anti-biblical  in  their  essence ;  with  false  psychologies  and  false 
philosophies,  whether  pantheistic  or  materialistic ;  with  Jaco- 
binism and  "Mobocracy,"  in  politics ;  with  Pelagianism  in 
every  form,  and  L'nitarianism  in  every  shade,  in  theology.  He 
knew  that  man  was  never  evolved  from  an  ape ;  that  there  is  a 
radical,  fundamental  and  essential  difference  between  a  man's 
consciousness  when  suffering  for  sin  and  a  dog's  when  chas- 
tised by  his  master  for  a  fault  in  behavior.  He  knew  that  God 
created  the  world  ex  nihilo;  for  God  has  told  us  so  in  his 
Word.  He  knew  that  the  several  forms  of  sensualistic  psy- 
chology were  lies,  at  least  in  considerable  part ;  that  pantheism 
degrades  and  dishonors  God,  robs  man  of  his  personality,  and 
is  utterly  false ;  that  materialism  and  Herbert  Spencerianism, 
agnosticism,  are  equally  false.  He  knew  that  the  Jacobinical 
assurance,  "All  men  are  of  right  free  and  equal,"  never  has 
been  true,  and  never  will  be  true,  and  never  can  be  true  in 
the  sense  of  its  assertors,  because  God  has  not  made  men  that 
,  way.  Though  Calvinism,  pure  and  simple,  had  been  on  the 
wane  in  his  day,  he  knew  that  Augustinism  once  waned,  died 
and  was  buried  for  a  thousand  years,  but  was  resurrected  at 
the  Reformation,  because  it  was  largely  God's  truth.  He  ex- 
pected confidently  in  God's  own  time,  the  revindication  of  Cal- 
vinism. In  short,  satisfied  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  West- 
minster system  of  doctrinal  teaching,  and  satisfied  as  to  the 
substantial  truth  of  the  common-sense  philosophy  of  the  Scotch 
school  he  has  given  the  ablest,  though  not  the  simplest,  defence 
and  exposition  of  this  theology,  and  has  enlarged,  deepened 
and  ennobled  the  Scottish  philosophy  of  common-sense — the 
only  philosophy  worth  acceptance — and  the  philosophy  of  the 
Bible  as  well.  He  has  never  been  ashamed  of  this  philosophy 
or  of  the  Westminster  Theology.  He  has  boldly  "and  con- 
-fidently  maintained  it,  and  has  opposed  everything  in  current 
history  in  opposition  thereto. 

His  opposition  to  any  change  of  the  Westminster  Confession 


SuMMiSRY  View  of  the  Man  and  his  Service.      569 

of  Faith  was  almost  absolute.  He  calls  his  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
G.  W.  Finley,  to  witness  in  a  letter  now  in  Dr.  Finley's  posses- 
sion of  his  constant  and  unwavering  opposition  to  any  change 
of  that  great  standard. 

Dr.  Dabney  has  received  much  criticism  as  ultra-conservative. 
Perhaps  in  some  minor  matters  he  was  too  antagonistic  to 
change,  but  we  confidently  await  the  verdict  of  history  on  his 
conservatism.  We  do  not  believe  that  he  was  too  conservative 
in  most  matters ;  and  we  feel  sure  that  had  he  been  less  con- 
servative, he  would  not  have  served  the  church  in  his  generation 
so  well.  The  church  needed  guidance  by  a  man  who  could  and 
would  look  before  he  leaped — before  he  abandoned  the  tried  old 
for  the  untried  new.  Our  age  is  so  impressed  with  its  own 
greatness,  it  is  so  intoxicated  by  its  brilliant  achievements  in 
amassing, material  wealth  and  making  physical  discoveries  that 
it  esteem's  itself  too  highly.  It  tends  to  despise  all  that  it  has 
not  itself  discovered.  It  is  too  ready  to  receive  the  new  because 
it  is  the  new,  and  to  throw  away  the  old  because  it  is  old.  Every 
age  runs  towards  godlessness.  Much  of  the  new  in  our  age  is 
godless.  Hence  we  are  in  danger  of  repudiating  the  best  of  our 
inheritance  from  the  past.  Hence,  also  our  need  of  some  good 
man  with  penetration  and  insight  to  discern  between  good  and 
evil,  with  heroic  boldness  to  warn  us  against  an  evil  course,  and 
with  the  thunderbolt  of  Thor  to  demolish  the  ramparts  of  error. 

Dr.  Dabney  was  a  great  man.  We  cannot  tell  just  how  great 
yet.  One  cannot  see  how  great  Mt.  Blanc  is  while  standing  at 
its  foot.  One  hundred  years  from  now  men  will  be  able  to  see 
him  better. 


APPENDIX. 


Dr.  Dabney's  Letter  to  D.  H.  Pannill,  Esq.,  Descriptive 
OF  HIS  Services  at  Port  Republic. 

[This  letter  has  come  to  our  knowledge  just  as  the  book  goes  to 
press  It  appeared  in  the  Times-Dispatch.  Richmond.  August  30.  1903. 
too  late  for  use  in  the  body  of  the  work.  We  were  not  aware  of  its 
existence  before  that  time.] 

"Austin,  January  14.  iSq^- 
"D.  H.  Pannill,  Esq. 

"Dear  Sir  :    .    •    •    •    You  are,  indeed,  engaged  upon  a  most 
timely  and  important  work,  in  composing  a  true  history  of  the 
Armv  of  Northern  Virginia.    I  have  heard  the  extract  you  send 
read  with  much  satisfaction.    I  was  myself  at  Cross  Keys  and 
Port  Republic  with  General  Jackson.     I  notice  that  Mr.  Esten 
Cooke,  in  his  Surrv  of  Eagle's  Nest,  says  that  Colonel  Sir  Percy 
Wyndham  pursued  our  rear  with  only  a  squadron  (two  com- 
panies).    Of  this  I  cannot  speak  as  an  eye-witness.     Colonel 
Kane  was  colonel  of  the  Yankee  infantry  regiment    'Pennsyl- 
vania Buck  Tails,'  which  killed  Ashby  later  in  the  afternoon.    I 
believe  your  narrative  of  this  part  is  very  exact.    You  were  also 
very  wise  in  discarding  the  story  about  Jackson  using  a  ruse  in 
order  to  pass  the  Yankee  cannon  at  the  mouth  of  a  bridge,  or 
of  pretending  to  be  a  Yankee  officer,  and  ordering  them  to 
move.    He  had  galloped  over  to  the  northwest  side  before  that 
gun  was  placed  there.     The  dash  of  the  Yankees  into  Port 
Republic  did  not  take  place  until  after  breakfast.    The  General 
rode   to  the   top  of  the   hill   where   the   Third   Brigade   and 
Poague's    Batterv    were   bivouacked,    and   had    the    long   roll 
beaten.     As  soon  as  Fulkerson's  Regiment  and  one  gun  were 
ready,  he  started  back  with  them  to  recover  the  bridge  and  the 
village.    The  sergeant  of  this  gun  is  now  in  this  city  (William 
Morton  Brown),  and  I  heard  him  tell  his  story  recently.    Jack- 
son, on  returning,  when  he  got  in  sight  of  the  bridge,  saw  a 
cannon  at  its  further  mouth.     Brown  says  he  ordered  his  gun 
to  unlimber  and  load,  but  not  to  fire  at  once,  being  apparently 


572        Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabney. 

in  doubt  whether  the  cannon  might  not  be  one  of  a  reserve 
battery  of  his  own.  It  seems  as  if  to  solve  this  doubt  he  waved 
his  hand  and  shouted  to  the  gunner  twice,  'Fetch  your  gun 
over  here.'  They  appeared  to  notice  him  at  his  second  shout, 
and  their  reply  was  a  cannon  shot  aimed  at  him,  and  Brown 
fired  his  cannon  at  them  immediately,  and  Jackson  ordered  his 
infantry  to  fire  and  charge,  as  you  narrate. 

"You  are  right  in  supposing  I  was  the  staff  officer  who  saved 
the  baggage  train.  In  my  Life  of  Jackson  I  did  not  name 
myself  or  go  into  details,  because  I  thought  it  would  be  in  bad 
taste.  The  facts  were  these :  I  had  lodged  in  a  little  tent  in  an 
orchard,  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house  (old  Dr, 
Kemper's),  where  the  General  lodged,  but  had  seen  him  about 
breakfast  time,  and  he  had  told  me  that  he  did  not  intend  to 
begin  any  fighting  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  I  should  preach  to 
the  Stonewall  Brigade.  I  had  accordingly  gone  back  to  my 
tent,  and  was  preparing  a  sermon,  when  I  saw  the  servant 
hastily  jerking  up  the  tent  pins.  I  asked  him  why,  when  he 
replied  in  about  these  words,  'Why,  Major,  don't  you  know  the 
Yankees  done  come,  and  the  General  done  started  across  the 
river,  and  he  ordered  me  that  all  these  tents  and  baggage  must 
be  packed  and  moved  to  the  rear  in  five  minutes?'  I  sprang  up 
and  told  him  to  bridle  and  saddle  my  horse,  while  I  belted  on 
my  arms.  His  answer  was,  'Bless  your  heart,  Major,  I  can't 
stop  for  that,  the  General's  orders  is  too  strict.'  I  equipped  the 
horse  myself,  and  started  to  follow  the  General.  The  southern 
end  of  the  village  street  turns  at  right  angles  between  the 
village  and  old  Dr.  Kemper's.  When  I  came  near  that  spot 
two  staff  officers — Dr.  McGuire  and  Quartermaster  Harman — 
galloped  rapidly  to  the  rear,  each  of  them  waving  me  back,  and 
shouting  to  me  that  the  Yankees  were  already  in  the  street, 
and  it  was  simply  impossible  for  me  to  join  the  General.  In- 
deed, two  of  our  staff,  trying  to  get  to  him  a  few  mmutes 
earlier,  were  already  captured.  Colonel  Crutchfield,  colonel  of 
our  artillery,  was  one,  and  he  was  in  the  street  with  the  Yankee 
Colonel  Carroll  during  the  battle  that  followed ;  escaping  that 
same  day,  he  returned  to  us,  and  told  us  what  he  saw  from  the 
Yankee  side,  which  was  very  instructive  to  me.  The  thought 
which  flashed  on  my  mind  when  I  was  stopped  was  that  the 
bridge  and  our  trains  must  be  in  immediate  danger  from  these 
Yankees,  and  my  duty  was  to  rally  whatever  I  could  for  their 
protection.     So  beginning  to  look  around  I  first  saw  a  captain 


Appendix.  573 

with  about  fifteen  Confederate  riflemen.  He  said  he  was 
Captain  Moore,  of  the  Second  Virginia,  who  had  been  posted 
as  picket  at  the  forks  of  the  river  just  below,  and  had  been 
driven  awav  by  a  greatly  superior  force.  I  asked  him  if  his 
men  were  stampeded.  He  replied  proudly,  No ;  that  he  could 
control  his  men,  who  would  be  glad  to  have  a  few  chances  at 
the  Yankees,  and  the  faces  of  his  men  confirmed  this.  I  told 
him  it  was  a  critical  time,  and  we  must  do  what  we  could  to 
check  the  advaiTce  of  the  Yankees.  'Follow  me,  and  I  will 
show  you  an  advantageous  position,  and  you  must  stay  there  at 
all  hazards  until  I  bring  you  some  supports.'  This  he  promised 
to  do. 

"The  Staunton  road,  issuing  from  the  village,  makes  a  second 
right  angle  near  the  old  Kemper  house,  so  that  between  this 
angle  and  the  first  one  mentioned  lies  a  straight  line  of  turnpike 
of  some  hundred  and  seventy  or  two  hundred  yards,  making  a 
capital  range  for  a  close  rifle  fire.    I  quickly  put  Captain  Moore 
and  his  men  over  in  the  field  behind  a  big  board  fence,  ordering 
them  to  lie  down  on  their  breasts  and  fire  low  through  the 
lowest  crack  upon  whatever  enemy  turned  the  other  corner. 
Carrington's   Battery  had  come  to  us  the  day  before  so  ill- 
equipped  and  trained  that  Colonel  Crutchfield  had  ordeied  them 
to  stay  for  the  present  with  the  baggage  train;    they  had 
bivouacked  in  this  very  field,  and  had  now  just  gotten  into 
column  and  were  going  south  at  a  gallop.     I  raced  after  them, 
and  ordered  word  to  be  passed  on  to  their  captain  to  halt  the 
column  and  come  to  me.     I  then  asked  him  what  ammunition 
he  had,  and  he  said  he  had  enough  cannister  cartridges  for  two 
guns.    'Have  you  friction  primers,  Captain?'    'Yes,  but  no  lan- 
yard strings.'     I  said  the  whip  lashes  will  do  for  them ;    turn 
out  these  two  guns  and  follow  me.     I  started  him  back  at  a 
gallop  through  an  old  orchard,  down  into  Dr.  Kemper's  front 
meadow.    Meantime,  I  heard  a  sharp  volley  from  Moore's  rifle- 
men ;   he  told  me  afterwards  that  the  head  of  a  Yankee  column 
of  cavalrv  turned  the  lower  corner  of  the  turnpike,  but  his  first 
volley  sent  them  back.     Knowing  that  my  only  chance  was 
audacity,  I  ran  my  two  guns  across  the  meadow,  so  as  to  rake 
the  main  street  at  short  range,  and  ordered  the  men  to  load 
with  cannister.    Just  then  Captain  Myers,  of  Ashby's  Cavalry, 
was  passing  by  with  a  little  company  of  about  twenty-five.     I 
ordered  them  to  halt,  form  and  support  the  guns.    This  he  did. 
He  was  one  of  the  cavalry  pickets,  but  not  being  on  the  direct 


574        Life  axd  Letters  of  Robert  Lewis  Dabxey. 

road  to  Lewiston,  had  not  been  stampeded  by  Carroll,  like  the 
other  cavalry  picket.  I  then  said  to  Carrington,  'I  don't  want 
to  fire  into  friends ;  so  as  Jackson  may  have  gotten  some  of  his 
men  into  the  street  by  this  time,  wait  until  I  reconnoitre  once 
more."  I  rode  forward  to  the  head  of  the  street  behind  an  old 
shed ;  the  road  was  so  dusty  that  at  first  I  saw  nothing,  but  I 
watched  it  until  I  saw  a  blue  column  of  Yankee  cavalry  unmis- 
takably emerging  from  the  dust  in  good  cannister  range ;  then 
galloped  back  and  ordered  Carrington  to  fire.  The  enemy 
replied  by  a  shell,  which  was  excellently  aimed,  I  knew  by  the 
buzz,  and  shouted  to  my  men,  'Down,  men,'  and  all  squatted 
like  partridges  in  the  grass.  Sure  enough,  the  shell  burst  about 
four  yards  ahead  of  them,  apparently  the  very  worst  place  for 
them ;  but,  strange  to  say,  all  the  fragments  ricocheted  over 
them,  whereon  I  ordered  them  up  to  reload  and  fire ;  so  we 
kept  up  this  fire  until  we  cleared  the  street  and  Jackson  retook 
the  bridge.  The  Yankee  cannoneers  did  not  fire  so  accurately 
after  their  first  shot,  and  not  one  of  my  men  was  hurt.  These 
young  gentlemen  were  as  green  as  grass,  but  as  brave  as  lions, 
very  excited  and  rather  disorderly.  Fortunately,  they  had  not 
yet  experienced  enough  to  know  in  what  imminent  danger  I 
ran  them. 

"Now  Colonel  Crutchfield  was  sitting  all  this  time  on  his 
horse  by  Carroll,  a  prisoner.  He  told  me  that  while  Carroll 
was  placing  his  section  of  artillery  and  forming  his  column, 
one  of  his  scouts  came  back,  and  exclaimed  with  great  exulta- 
tion, 'Colonel,  you  have  just  got  all  Jackson's  baggage  trains.' 
Carroll  asked  where.  "L'p  yonder  in  sight,  scarcely  half  a  mile 
off.'  Carroll  immediately  gave  command  to  the  captain  of  his 
leading  squadron,  'Captain,  go  tip  quickly,  attack  the  trains ; 
give  me  a  good  account  of  them  all.'  Crutchfield  said  that 
after  this  his  heart  seemed  to  sink  down  to  the  bottom  of  his 
body,  and  he  said  to  himself,  'Well,  we  are  gone,  and  all  my 
ammunition  train  with  them,  for  the  Yankee  is  right,  and  there 
is  nothing  between  Colonel  Carroll  and  them.'  But  when  the 
cavalry  advanced,  to  his  amazement  two  cannon  fired  at  them — 
he  could  see  the  cannister  cutting  up  the  dust  at  the  horses'  feet. 
and  they  came  back  in  a  panic.  Crutchfield  said  to  himself, 
'Have  these  cannons  dropped  down  from  the  sky?  I  thought 
I  was  chief  of  artillery  to  this  army,  and  knew  there  were  no 
cannon  on  this  side  ready  to  shoot.'  He  said  Carroll  was  much 
enraged,  cursed  a  great  deal,  and  beat  the  men  with  the  flat  of 


Appendix.  575 

his  sword,  and  reforming  his  column,  they  went  up  again,  but 
the  cannister  sent  them  back  a  second  time.  While  he  was 
attempting  to  reform  them  the  third  time,  Fulkerson  came 
through  the  bridge  at  the  lower  end,  and  the  whole  business 
became  uncontrollable,  and  ran  for  the  South  River  by  the 
cross  streets.  As  soon  as  I  was  sure  that  Jackson  had  the 
bridge,  I  took  Captain  Myers'  Company,  and  scoured  the  back 
street,  hoping  to  catch  some  prisoners,  but  they  were  too  quick 
for  me.  At  the  bottom  of  the  town  I  met  General  Jackson  and 
rejoined  him,  when  my  separate  command  ended.  That  night  I 
told  him  something  of  it,  and  said  jocularly,  'Yes,  General,  in 
that  great  battle  all  three  arms  of  the  service,  infantry,  artillerv, 
cavalry,  were  duly  employed,'  at  which  he  laughed  like  a  school- 
boy. 

"As  I  had  no  regular  field  command  of  the  detachments 
employed,  I  did  not  think  it  incumbent  to  put  in  any  official 
report.  Hence  nothing  appears  of  it  in  Jackson's  official  report, 
compiled  months  afterwards  from  those  of  the  field  officers ; 
but  with  less  than  seventy  men,  all  told,  I  saved  his  army  that 
time,  for  had  that  ammunition  train  been  blown  up  by  Carroll 
we  should  have  gone  up  the  spout. 

"Faithfully  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney." 


INDEX. 


[This  index  has  been  prepared  by  our  friend,  Rev.  D.  K.  Walthall,  Ph.  D.J 


Adger,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.,  letters  to,  on 
ministerial  education,  394. 
MSS.    for   the  Southern  Presbyte- 
rian Rcviezv,  401-404. 
political  events,  405. 
opposes  union  of  the  Southern  As- 
sembly   and    the    United    Synod, 
287. 
Alexander,     Rev.     Dr.     Archibald, 
compared  with  Dr.  Dabney  as  a 
philosopher,  558. 
Ancestry,  His,  character  of,  1-2. 
origin,  2-3. 

tables  of,  end  of  Chap.  I. 
Anti-Biblical    Theory    of    Rights^ 

448. 
Asheville,  a  summer  there,  516-518. 
Assembly's    Home    Missions,    their 

value,  512-513. 
Attractions  of  Popery,  454. 
Austin,  his  life  there,  443-445. 

Theological    Seminary   of,    470-473, 
501-504. 

Baker,  Josephene  P.,  lines  on  his 
burial,  530-531- 

Beauregard,  Gen.,  description  of, 
238. 

Birmingham,  condition  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  and  inhabi- 
tants, 417. 

Blaetterman,  professor  in  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia,  54. 

Bledsoe,    Rev.    Dr.    Albert    Taylor, 
life  of,  a  sketch,  385. 
controversy  with,  385-390. 

BococK,  Mrs.  Margaret  Kemper, 
letter  from,  on  his  power  to  com- 
fort in  affliction,  177. 

Bondurant,  Col.  Alex.,  visit  to,  521. 

Bonnycastle,  professor  in  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia,  51. 

Boyd,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  H.  H.,  leader  of 
"New  School"  thought,  287-288. 

Brackett,  Rev.  Dr.  G.  R.,  letter  to 
Mrs.  Dabney  on  supposed  death 
of  her  husband,  481-483. 

37 


Breckenridge,  Rev.  Dr.  R.  J.,  elected 
professor    in    Union    Theological 
Seminary,  130-132. 
review  of  his  Theology,  159. 
Broad  Churchism,  338. 
Brown,  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.,  letters  from, 
on  his  call  to  Princeton,  209. 
his  illness,  479. 
Bull  Run,   description  of  battle  of, 

239-241. 
Burnley,   Mr.    Caleb,   schoolmaster, 

27. 
Burnley,  Rev.   Chas.,  schoolmaster, 
28. 

Calhoun,  Jno.  C,  his  opinion  of,  563. 
Calvin,  Jno.,  Dabney  compared  with, 

557-558. 
Camp,  Religious  life  in,  article  on, 

236-237. 
Campbell,   Alex.,   The   System    of, 

393- 
Campbell,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  B.,  letters  to, 

on  Austin  Seminary,  501-503. 
in    reply   to    letter    from   pupils    at 

Dallas  Assembly,  505. 
Campbell,    Rev.    Dr.    W.    C,    letter 

from,  on  Dr.  Dabney  as  professor 

and  host,  411. 
Campinas  Mission,  358-359.  454-455. 
Carrol,    Professor   D.   L.,    President 

Hampden-Sidney  College,  36,  39. 
Caskie,  Jno.   S.,  letter  from,  urging 

him  to  accept  an  editorship,  80. 
Caution    Versus    Anti  -  Christian 

Science,  343. 
Central  Presbyterian,  his  relations 

to,'  156-158,  160. 
Charlotte,     General     Assembly     of, 

513-515- 
Christ  our  Penal  Substitute,  520- 

522. 
Christian  Observer,  The,  tribute  to 

him,  532. 
Civil  Ethics,  447. 
Cocke,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  R.,  on  Dabney's 

Practical  Philosophy,  560-561. 


-578 

^College  Church,  pastor  of,  162. 
draws  present  plans,  198. 
resigns  pastorate  of,  363. 
Columbia     Seminary,     his     lectures 

there,  520-521. 
Comfort^  Mr.  D.wid,  letter  from,  on 

his  call  to  Princeton,  208-209. 
Commendation    of    the    Study    of 

Philosophy,  447. 
Craig,    Rev.    Dr.    J.    N.,    conversion, 
124. 
school-teacher,  124. 
Crimes  of  Philanthropy,  319. 
Currency,  his  views  on,  452-453. 

Dabney.  origin  of  the  name,  3. 
of  the  family,  3. 
of  the  Virginia  family,  4. 
Ann  Eliza,  his  sister,  13. 
Bettie,  his  sister,  13. 

efforts  for  her  conversion,  70-72. 
her  education,  77-78- 
her  admiration  for  him,  94. 
her  death,  249-255. 
religion,  71-72. 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  239-241. 
her  sickness,  247. 
Charles,  his  great-uncle,  life  of,  a 

sketch,  5. 
Charles,  Jr..  his  father,  life  of,  a 
sketch,  8-1 1,  16. 
death,  28-29. 
Charles  Wm.,  his  brother,  charac- 
ter and  influence,  12-13. 
letter  from,  and  reply  on,  his  re- 
maining   with    the    army,    242- 

243. 
letters  to,  on  conversion,  168-173, 

181-185. 
death    of    his    children,    168-173, 

181-185. 
financial  affairs,  180. 
■leaving  United  States.  304. 
TThas.  W.,  his  son,  birth,  167. 

aids    in    his    partial     restoration, 

484. 
education,  413,  421- 
letters  to,  on  the  currency,  452. 
life  in  Victoria,  511-512. 
elegy  on  Jackson,  457- 
President    of    the    University    of 
Tennessee,  494. 
Mrs.  C.W.,his  daughter-in-law,  let- 
ter to,  on  his  grandchildren,  494. 
Cornelius,  his  ancestor,  2,  4. 
George,  his  ancestor,  4. 
Geo.  Francis,  his  brother.  13. 
letter  to,  on  farming,  68-69. 


Index. 


Dabney,  Geo.  Francis — 

letter    from,    describing    a    raid, 
276-278. 

taught  by,  69. 
Elizabeth,  his  mother,  13. 

character,  12. 

his  care  for,  178-181,  325. 

death,  362. 

devotion  to  her  son,  96. 

letters   to,   on  accepting   position 
on  Jackson's  staff,  263-264. 

Betty's  death,  256-257. 

breaking  up  housekeeping,  324. 

evils  of  reconstruction,  302-303. 

general  topics.  233. 

hope  in  Christ,  361. 

likelihood  of  civil  war,  214-215. 

sketch  of  her  life,  362. 

widow,  28. 
John,  2. 

Jno.    Blair,   estimate   of   the   Dab- 
neys,  1-2. 

of  his  mother's  family,  11. 
Lewis  M.,  his  son,  birth,  167. 

education,  444. 

letter    from,    on    general    topics, 
493-494. 
Margaret  Lavinia,  his  wife.  116. 

accident  to.  441. 

family,  115. 

letters  to,  on  battles  about  Port 
Republic,  265. 

General    Assembly   at   Louisville, 
349.  350,  351- 

from  New  York,   163-166. 

of  Scotland,  416. 

general  topics,  188. 

Germany.  420-422. 

life  at  Alum  Springs,  2,2(>-Z2']. 

her  life  since  his  death,  540. 

monument  erected  by.  539. 
Marguerite,   his   granddaughter,   a 

comfort,  518. 
Mary    Moore,    his    granddaughter, 

her  sickness,  516-518. 
Samuel,  his  grandfather,  7-8. 
Samuel  B..  his  son,  birth,  167. 

education,  444. 

home    in    Vicioria,    494,    500-501, 

507.  511- 
Recollections  of  the  war,  291. 
Richard,  his  uncle.  8. 
Robert,  2. 

Robert  Lewis,  ancestry,  1-12. 
Austin  Seminary,  his  relations  to, 

470-473,  501-504- 
Betty's  sickness  and  death,  247- 

257- 


Index. 


579 


Dabney,  Robert  Lewis — 

his  birth,  24. 

burial,  eulogies  and  tributes,  524- 
540. 

business  cares,  245. 

calls,  to  First  Norfolk,  103. 

Louisa,  96-99. 

Danville,  104. 

Tinkling  Spring,  104,  107. 

Union      Theological      Seminary, 
133-136. 

Presidency   of   Hampden-Sidney, 
155. 

Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  198. 

Princeton,  198-210. 

University  of  Texas,  432-442. 

chaplain,  236-242. 

college  days,  30-43. 

Columbia,  lectures  at,  520-521. 

Commissioner  to  the  General  As- 
sembly in  New  York,  163-166. 

Louisville,  349-356. 
Dallas,  504. 

Charlotte,  514-515. 

controversies    with    Dr.    Bledsoe, 

385-390. 
with  Dr.  Woodrow,  339-348. 
conversion,  42-43. 
courtship,  115. 
Davidson,  lectures  at,  520. 
death,  supposed,  480-481. 
real,  521,  524. 
degrees,  M.  A.,  75. 
D.  D.,  136. 
LL.  D.,  364. 

early  surroimdings,  14-24. 
early  years,  26-28. 
Europe,  visit  to,  413-430. 
father's  death,  28-29.  I 

farms,  45.     (See  also  home  life.) 
health,  89,  102,  103,  178,  245,  438- 

439,  478-479.  484-487,  500-501. 
home  life,   1 17-122,   167-178,  272- 
.  275,  328-329,  33^- 
licensure,  95. 
life  between   the   University  and 

the  Seminary,  78-79. 
literary   labors,    156-161,    190-193, 

232,  273-27S,  280-282,   318-323, 

335-349.  391-404.  446-460. 
Louisville,    lectures     there,     496- 

497- 
man,     the,     and     his     services 

Christian  character,  549-550. 
conservative,  567-569. 
energy  and  power,  541-547. 
friend,  565-566. 
patriot,  564-565. 


Dabney,  Robert  Lewis — 

philosopher,  558-561. 

political  economist,  561-562. 

preacher.  552-553- 

sanctified  common  sense,  551-552. 

sense  of  responsibility,  548-549. 

servant  of  God,  566-567. 

statesman,  563-564. 

theologian,  555-558. 

marriage,  116. 

mental    and    moral    condition    in 

May,  1865,  327. 
military  services,  263-272. 
missionary  to  the  army,  290. 
missions,  zeal  for,  358-360. 
Moderator  of  Synod,  212. 
of  the  General  Assembly,  349. 
mother,  his  efforts  to  aid,  43,  122. 
ordained,  108. 

Pan-Presbyterian     Alliance     op- 
posed. 381-385- 
pastor,  in  Louisa,  95-99- 
at  Tinkling  Spring,  108-137. 
at  College  Church,  162,  273,  318, 

363- 
poor,  aid  to,  360-361. 
professor,  in  Union  Seminary,  of 
Eecclesiastical       History,       133, 

138-143- 
of  theology.  145,  195-^96,  273. 
resigns,  432-442. 
in  University  of  Texas,  445-446, 

488-489- 
quarry,  works  in,  44. 
reconstruction  days,  292-310. 
school    teacher,    44,    45,    123-124, 

310-311- 
sermons,    method    of    preparing, 

114. 

character  of.  162,  197. 

on  Foreign  Missions,  167. 

on  the  Sin  of  the  Tempter,  232. 

sons,  letter  to,  523. 

welfare  of,  494.  540. 

Theology,  work  on,  318. 

Union  Theological  Seminary,  en- 
trance and  life  there,  81-95. 

professor  there,  133,  138-143,  I45, 
195,  196,  273. 

desires  to  leave,  314-316. 

resigns,  432-442. 

University  of  Texas,  call  to,  432- 
442. 

work  there.  445-446. 

resigns,  488-489. 

University  of  Virginia,  his  en- 
trance and  life  there,  45,  50, 
75- 


58o 


Index. 


Dabney,  Robert  Lewis — 

Union  of  Northern  and  Southern 

churches  opposed,  349-357. 
versatility,  121-130,  460,  493,  551- 

552. 
Victoria,  life  there,  500-501,  507, 

51 1-5 13,  521. 
War,  the  civil :    efforts  to  avert, 

212-231. 
views  on  conduct  of,  235-236,  25S, 
282,  288-290. 

Dabney,  Wm.,  his  ancestor,  4-5. 

D'AuBiGNE,  Theodore  Agrippa,  2. 

Dallas,  General  Assembly  there,  504. 
letter    from    pupils    present    there, 

504. 
reply,  505. 
■Dancing  Question,  the,  392. 

Davies,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  W..  pastor  at 
Boonesboro,  Ark.,  512. 

Davis,  professor  in  University  of 
Virginia,  murder  of,  56-60. 

Davis,  Rev.  Dr.  Jno.  W.,  letter  from, 
on  his  Biography  of  Jackson,  431. 

Davidson  College,  lectures  there,  520. 

"Defence  of  Virginia  and  the 
South,"  273-275. 

Decline  of  Ministerial  Scholar- 
ship, 522. 

Depression  of  American  Farming 
Interests,  451. 

De  Vere  Prof.  M.  Schele,  letter 
from,  on  making  a  German  trans- 
lation of  the  Biography  of  Jack- 
son, 280-282. 

Discussions,  Collected,  458,  521-522. 

Doctrinal  Various  Readings  of  the 
N.  T.  Greek,  338. 

Dollar  of  the  Daddies,  The,  453. 

Draper,  Dr.  J.  W.,  professor  in 
Hampden-Sidney  College,  36. 

Dutch  Reformed  Church,  357. 

Duty  of  the  Hour,  322. 

Ecclesiastical  Equality  of  Ne- 
groes, 319-322. 

Economic  Effects  of  the  Former 
Labor  System  of  the  Southern 
United  St.a.tes,  453. 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  compared  with, 
as  a  philosopher,  558. 

Eggleston,  Dr.  J.  D.,  view  on  neces- 
sity of  his  removal  to  Texas,  438- 

439- 
Emmet,    professor    in    University    of 

Virginia,  53. 
Emotions,  The,  447. 
Endless  Punishment,  392. 


Examination    of    Certain    Recent 
Assaults  on  Physical  Science, 
344- 
reply  to,  345. 

Fairburn,   Rev.   Dr.    Patrick,  letter 

from,  on  ecclesiastical  conditions 

in  Australia,  308-309. 
Final  Cause,  447. 
Finley,  Rev.  Dr.  G.  W.,  on  his  sense 

of  responsibility,  548-549. 
letter   to,   opposing   any   change   in 

the  Confession  of  Faith,  569. 
Five  Points  of  Calvinism,  510. 
Flournoy,   Rev.    Dr.    P.    P.,   tribute, 

538-539- 

Free  Schools,  398-400. 

FooTE,  Dr.  Wm.  H.,  letter  from,  urg- 
ing moderate  hours  for  study, 
142. 

Fool's  Err.\nd,  Answer  to,  430. 

France,  its  church  problems,  428-429. 

Further  Examination  of  Certain 
Recent  Assaults  on  Physical 
Science,  345. 

Gaines'  Mill,  Battle  of,  his  services 
there,  269. 

Geology  and  the  Bible,  340-342. 

German  Theology,  Inwardness  of, 
420. 

Germany,  Impressions  of,  420-421. 

Gilmer,  Gov.  T.  W.,  visit  to,  66-67. 

Girls'  School,  310-31  i. 

Gordon,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  C,  editor  of 
Notes  on  Theology,  336. 

Graham,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  L.,  professor  in 
LTnion  Seminary,  82,  83. 

Great  Brit.\in,  impressions  of,  418- 
420. 

Green,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  M.,  describes  re- 
ception of  first  overtures  of  the 
Northern  Assembly  to  the  South- 
ern. 350,  352.  355. 
letter  to,  on  ministerial  education, 
474-477. 

Grasty,  Rev.  J.  M.,  fellow-student  at 
Union,  85. 

Gregory,  Mr.  T.  W.,  speech  in  pre- 
senting his  portrait  to  University 
of  Te.xas,  460-461. 

Grigsbv,  Col.,  opinion  of  him  as  ad- 
jutant, 264. 

GuiLLAUME,  paints  his  portrait,  460. 

Guthrie,  Mr.  Hugh,  his  home  with, 
115,  116. 
letters  on  domestic  matters,  291. 
a  nephew  being  slain  in  battle,  284. 


Index. 


581 


Hall,    Rev.    Dr.    W.    T.,    expresses 
pleasure  of  Faculty  of  Columbia 
Seminary    at    his    lectures    there, 
521. 
Hampden-Sidney  College,  character 
of  instruction,  30. 
college  mates,  36-37. 
his  diligence,  standing  and  charac- 
ter there,  31-34- 
impression  he  produced  on  the  peo- 
ple. 42. 
the  Faculty,  42. 

ideas  concerning  its  work  and  pro- 
fessors, 35,  T2. 
interest  in,  443. 
leaves  College,  41,  42. 
efforts    of    friends    for    his    return, 

46-49. 
letters  of  the  period,  37-39- 
LL.  D.,  344- 
trustee,  364. 
Harrison,  Gessner,  professor  in  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia,  54. 
Hazen,  Rev.   Dr.  Jas.  K.,   Secretary 

of  Publication,  404. 
Hersman,  Rev.  Dr.  C.  C,  prayer  at 

his  funeral,  525. 
Hill,  Gen.  D.  H..  letter  from,  urging 
him   to   accept   chaplaincy   in   the 
army,  263. 
Hodge,   Rev.   Dr.   A.   A.,   opinion   of 
him    as    a    teacher    of    theology, 

534- 
Hodge,  Rev.  Dr.  Chas.,  letter  from, 

urging    acceptance     of    chair    in 

Princeton  Seminary,  199-202. 
reply,  202. 
compared  with  him  as  a  theologian, 

556. 
Hoge,  Rev.  Dr.  M.  D.,  eulogy,  527- 
friendship,  36. 
letters    from,    on    progress    of    the 

war,  258-260. 
his   returning  to  Hampden-Sidney, 

46. 
letters  to,  on  affairs  at  the  close  of 

the  war,  294,  301-302. 
Central  Presbyterian,  157. 
removing  from  the  United   States, 

304-307. 
secession,  221-223. 
social   surroundings  of  the   College 

and  Seminary,  314. 
supposed  absorption  of  the   South- 
ern Church,  303. 
tribute  to  him,  535. 
Hoge,  Rev.  Dr.  P.  H.,  tribute  on  his 

supposed  death,  480-481. 


HoGE,   Rev.   Dr.   W.  J.,  call  to   New 
York,  148-149. 
professor  in  Union  Seminary,  148. 
Hopkins,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  C,  afifairs  dur- 
ing reconstruction,  301. 
on     his     speech     on     Ecclesiastical 

Equality  of  Negroes,  321. 
Ecclesiastical  Reforms,  407. 
as  host,  411. 
Howard,  Maj.-Gen.,  article  to,  318. 


Ide.\listic  Monism,  522. 
Immortality  of  the  Soul,  449. 
Incurable  Misconceptions,  495. 
Inductive  Logic,  395,  560. 
Infant  Salvation,  169. 
Influence    of    False    Philosophies 

upon    the    CH.A.RACTER    AND    CON- 
DUCT, 522. 

Influence  of  the  German  Univer- 
sity System  on  Theological 
Literature,  393-395- 

International  S.  S.  Lessons,  403- 
404. 

Italy,  impressions  of,  427. 

Jackson,    Gen.    T.    J.,    acquaintance 
with,  243. 
Biography  of,  280-282,  431. 
letters   from,  on  accepting  position 

as  stafif  officer,  261-262. 
his  resignation,  etc.,  275-276. 
lecture  on,  348-349. 
his  opinion  of,  266,  271. 
sermon  on,  298. 
Johnson,    Dr.    Josephus,    pastor    at 

Victoria,  511. 
Johnston,  Hon.  Job,  letter  from,  of 
thanks    for    article    on    Sabbath 
controversy,  161. 
Johnston,    Gen.    Jos.    E.,    reply    to, 
319- 

Kerr,   Rev.   Dr.   R.   P.,   his   relations 

with  the  students,  334. 
King,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  A.,  account  of  him 

at  the  Charlotte  Assembly,  514- 

letter  from,  expressmg  sympathy  01 
Synod  of  Texas,  509-510. 

reply.  511. 

tribute  to  him,  538. 
Kirkpatrick,  Dr.  J.  L.,  letter  from, 
on  Review  of  Positivism  in  Eng- 
land, 322-323- 
Kirkpatrick,  Thos.  J.,  letter  from, 
concerning  entrance  into  the  min- 
istry, 186. 


582 


Index. 


Labor  Union,  The,  the  Strike  and 

THE  Communal,  450-451. 
Lacy,  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  S.,  letter  from, 

on  his  illness,  483-484. 
Lane,  Rev.  Edward,  life  of,  358,  457- 
458. 
letters  to,  on  his  busy  life,  330. 
general  topics,  316-317. 
management    of    Foreign    Mission 

work,  409. 
political  affairs,  406. 
Latest   Infidelity,   The;     A   Reply 

TO  Ingersoll's  Position,  454. 
Lay  Preaching,  391. 
Laus  Iracundae,  547. 
Leyburn,  Rev.  Dr.  G.  L.,  letter  to,  on 
coming  to  the  Seminary  in   1865, 

312-313- 

Lee,  Gen.  R.  E.,  opinion  of  recon- 
struction days,  497-500. 

London,  impressions  of,  418. 

Louisa,  his  charge  there,  95-99. 

Louisville  Seminary,  lectures  there, 
495-497- 

McClure,  Rev.  Uncas,  letters  to,  on 
a  boarding  place,  506-507. 
reception    at    Charlotte    Assembly, 

revising  Confession  of  Faith,  474. 

McCuE,  Mr.  a.  H.,  letter  to,  remi- 
niscences. 507-509. 

McGuiRE,  Dr.  Hunter,  letter  from 
on  reply  to  Gen.  Jos.  E.  John- 
ston, 319. 

McGiLL,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  T.,  letter  from, 
urging    acceptance    of    call    from 
Princeton,  206. 
reply,  207. 

Maclean,  Dr.  Jno.,  letter  from,  on 
his  review  of  Breckenridge's 
Theology,  159. 

McNeilly,    Rev.    Dr.    J.    H.,    letters 
from,  on  his  appeal  for  Foreign 
Missions,  359. 
his  hospitality,  365-366. 

Mallard,  Rev.  Dr.  R.  Q.,  on  his  posi- 
tion  at  the   Charlotte   Assembly, 

514-515- 
Married  Life,  his  views  on,  246-247. 
Martin,   Rev.    S.   Taylor,   tribute   to 

him,  532. 
Matron  of  the  Virginia  that  Was, 

318. 
Marye,    Col.  L.  S.,    tribute    to    hun, 

535-536. 
Meredith,   Mr.   Thos.,   a   teacher   of 

his,  27. 


Ministerial    Education,    views    on, 

474-477. 
Minor,  Prof.  Jno.  B.,  letter  from,  of 

endorsement  of  his  views  on  the 

civil  war,  219-220. 
Minor,  L.,  Jr.,  letters   from,   on   the 

work  in  Louisa,  97,  98,  99. 
Monism,  449. 
Moore,  Rev.  Dr.  T.  V.,  letter  from, 

opposing  his  going  to  Princeton, 

209-210. 
Moral   Effects   of   Free  Justifica- 
tion, 338. 
Morrison,    Rev.   Jno.,   father   of   his 

wife,  115. 
Music,    its    power    to    convey    divine 

truth,  93. 

Napoleon     L,     concordat     with     the 

Pope,  429. 
Negro,     The,     and     the     Common 

School,  396-397. 
Nevin,   Mr.    F.   M.,  letters   from,   on 
aiding  a  poor  widow,  360. 
conditions  in  the  North  during  the 

war,  278-279. 
political  conditions,  405-406. 
religion,  492-493- 

union    of    Northern    and    Southern 
churches,  355. 
New  South,  The,  400-401. 
New  York   City,   General   Assembly 
there,  163-166. 
sermon     before     Foreign     Mission 
Board,  166-167. 
New  York  "Evangelist,"  tribute  to 
him,  534. 

Ordination,  his,  108. 

Original  Sin,  Doctrine  of,  453-454. 

Pacific  Appeal  to  Christians,  215. 
Palmer,  Rev.  Dr.  B.  M.,  chairman  of 
the  committee  to  reply  to  the  over- 
tures   of    the    Northern    Church, 
351  ff. 

opposes  union  of  Southern  Assem- 
bly and  United  Synod,  287. 

letters  from,  on  Ecclesiastical 
Equality  of  the  Negro,  321. 

reply  to  Van  Dyke,  357. 

letter  to,  on  the  relation  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Texas  to  the  denomi- 
national colleges  of  the  State, 
464-470. 

Sensualistic  Philosophy,  opinion  of, 

371- 
tribute  to  him,  531. 


Index. 


583 


Pan-Presbyterian  Alliance,  op- 
posed, 381-385- 

Parental  Responsibilities,  392. 

Payne,  Mr.  G.  Woodson,  letter  to,  on 
slavery,  67-68. 

Peck,  Rev.  Dr.  T.  E.,  professor  in 
Union  Seminary,  194,  195. 

Philadelphia  "Presbyterian,"  tri- 
bute to  him,  534. 

Philosophy  Regulative  of  Private 
Corporations,  449. 

Phillips,  Dr.  Chas.,  letter  from, 
urging  him  to  preach  at  Univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina,  144. 

Plumer,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  S.,  letter  of 
introduction  from,  to  Faculty  of 
Union  Seminary,  81. 

Poems,  Christology  of  the  Angels,  522. 
Conquest  of  the  South,  293. 
on    illness    of    his    granddaughter, 

516-518. 
San  Marcos  River,  455,  456. 
Tired  but  Comforted,  296-297. 

Positivism  in  England,  Review^  of, 
322. 

Port  Republic,  his  services  there, 
267-269. 

Powers,     Z.     M.     P.,     professor     in 
Hampden-Sidney  College,  36,  39. 
University  of  Virginia,  52. 

Prelacy  a  Blunder,  391-392. 

"Presbyterian  Banner,"  The,  tribute 
to  him,  534. 

Presbyterian  Church,  South,  or- 
ganization of,  243-245. 

"Presbyterian  Critic,"  The,  his  re- 
lations with,  160. 

Practical  Philosophy,  446-447,  522, 
560-561. 

Price,  his  mother's  family,  11-12. 

Price,  Mr.  M.  Overton,  a  cousin  in 
England,  414. 

Prime,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  I.,  letter  from,  on 
civil  war,  220-221. 
letter     to,     vindicating     Virginia's 
right  to  go  to  war  with  the  Fed- 
eral Government,  225-231. 

Princeton       Seminary,      professors 
there,  loo-ioi. 
effort  to  secure  him  as  a  professor, 
198-209. 

Providence  Church.     (See  Louisa.) 

PuGH,  Rev.  Jno.  W.,  letter  from, 
showing  esteem  of  Winchester 
Presbytery  for  him,  146. 

Public  Preaching  of  Women,  392. 

Quarry,  works  in,  44 


Ramsay,  Rev.  F.   P.,  impressions  of 

him  as  a  preacher,  477. 
Reconstruction,  Period  of,  292-310. 
Religious  Morality,  448-449. 
Repudiation  in  Virginia,  400. 
Retirement,  address  on,  332-^^4. 
Rice,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  fondness  for,  86. 

letters  from,  46,  49. 
Rice,   Jas.    H.,    Jr.,    tribute    to,    536, 

537- 

Richardson,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  T.,  fellow- 
student  at  the  Seminary,  85. 
helps    to    secure    him    the    call    to 
Tinkling  Spring,  104. 

Ritchie,  Thos.,  offers  him  position  in 
Petersburg  as  editor,  80. 

Rives,  Mr.  Wm.  C,  criticism  of,  66. 

Rogers,  professor  in  University  of 
Virginia,  53. 

Root,  Mr.,  principal  of  female  school 
at  Worsham,  40. 

Rosecrans  (V.)  Gen.,  effort  to  se- 
cure expression  of  opinion  from 
leading  Southern  men,  497-500. 

Ruffner,  Dr.  W.  H.,  reply  to,  on  the 
Public  School  System,  397. 
letter  from,  on  the  Princeton  pro- 
fessors, lOO-IOI. 

Sabbath  of  the  State,  The,  392. 

Sacred  Rhetoric,  335. 

Sampson,  Rev.  Dr.  F.  S.,  death,  146. 

his  opinion  of,  146. 

professor   in   Union    Seminary,   82, 

83. 
Life  of,  a  sketch,  521,  524. 
Sampson,  Rev.  Dr.  T.  R.,  tribute  to 

him.  537-538. 
Secession,  his  views  on,  221-224. 
Sensualistic     Philosophy    of    the 

19TH   Century   Considered,   370, 

450,  559- 
Semmes,  student  accused  of  murder 

of  Professor  Davis,  59-60. 
Shearer,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.,  "Dr.  Dabney 

as  a  Friend,"  565. 
Shedd,  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  G.  T.,  compared 

with,  as  a  theologian,  556-557. 
Shepperson,  Jno.   G.,  description  of, 

36- 

Slavery,  his  views  on,  67-68,  128-129. 

Smith,  Mr.  Ashbel,  letter  from,  an- 
nouncing his  election  as  professor 
in  University  of  Texas,  437-438. 

Smith,  Rev.  Dr.  B.  M.,  urges  him  to 
accept    call    to    Tinkling    Spring, 
106.  107. 
Union  Seminary,  professor  in,  147. 


584 


Index. 


Smith,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.,  fellow-student 
at  the  Seminary,  85. 

Smith,  Prof.  W.  Robertson,  refuta- 
tion of,  393,  394. 
trial  for  heresy,  417. 

Smoot,  Rev.   Dr.   R.   K.,  relations  to 
Austin  Seminary,  471-472. 

"Southern    Presbyterian    Review/' 
his  connection  with,  401-404. 

Spurious  Religious  Excitement,  448. 

Spurgeon,    Rev.    Chas.,    impressions 
of,  418. 

Stockuale,    Gov.,    opinion    of    recon- 
struction days,  497-500. 

Stokes,    Col.    Henry,    letter    to,    of 
sympathy.  518-519. 

Strickler,  Rev.  Dr.  G.  B.    on  effects 
on  the  students  of  his  preaching, 

334- 
at  his  funeral,  525-526. 
letters  to,   on  a  call   to  Louisville, 

409-410. 
a  call  to  Union  Seminary,  138,  141. 
Woodrow  controversy,  344-345. 
Switzerland,    impressions    of,    423- 

427. 
Sylvester,  professor  in  University  of 

Virginia,  52. 

Tabernacle,   The,   and  the  Abbey, 

418. 
Texas,  University  of,  his  election  to 
the   Chair  of  Moral  and  Mental 
Philosophy,  437  ff. 
work  in  that  chair,  445-446. 
resignation,  488-489. 
its   true   relation   to   the   denomina- 
national    colleges    of    the    State, 
464-470. 
Theodosia  Ernest,  Review  of,  232. 
Theological    Education,    Memorial 
ON,  323,  343. 
articles  on,  342. 
Theology,  Breckenridge's,  review  of, 

159-  ^ 
Hodge's,  review  of,  338-339. 
of  the  Plyniiouth  Brethren,  338. 
Syllabus,    and    notes    on,    335-337, 

"369. 
Thornwell,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.,  compared 
with,  as  a  theologian,  556-558. 
views  on  secession,  223-224. 
Thoroughly  Educated  Ministry,  A, 

394- 
TiLDEN,  S.  J.,  views  on  the  civil  war 

and  slavery,  405-406. 
Tinkling  Spring,  pastorate  of,  108- 

137- 


True  Purpose  of  the  Civil  War, 
522. 

Union  Theological  Seminary,  con- 
dition of  at  his  entrance  as  stu- 
dent, 82. 

the  time  of  his  election  as  profes- 
sor, 125,  126,  131-132. 

after  his  election  and  prior  to  the 
war,  195. 

during  the  war,  245,  273,  283,  290. 

afterward,  313. 

his  life  and  work  there,  as  student, 
82-95. 

as  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory, 133,  138-143. 

Theology,  145,  195-196,  432-442. 

resolution  of  Board  of  Trustees  on 
his  resignation,  439-440. 

social  changes,  313-314. 

his  views  on  its  removal  to  Rich- 
mond, 511. 
Union  of  the  Southern  Assembly 
AND    the    United    Synod,    284- 
288. 
Union  of  the  Northern  and  South- 
ern    Churches,    Attempts    at, 
.349-357- 

his  views  on,  349  ff.,  372-381. 

Van  Dyke,  Rev.  Dr.,  chairman  of 
the  committee  from  the  Northern 
Church  on  Fraternal  Relations, 
349  ff. 
Vaughan,  Rev.  Dr.  C.  R.,  edits  Col- 
lected Discussions,  458. 

fellow-student,  85. 

at  his  funeral,  525. 

letters  from,  on  being  a  D.  D.,  136. 

death  of  his  children,  175-177. 

general  topics,  101-102. 

geology,  340,  341. 

health,  103. 

pastoral  affairs,  iii. 

his  writing  a  church  history,  143. 

Dr.   Woodrow's  article,   advice  on, 

345- 
Venable,  Maj.  a.  R.,  opinion  of  him 

as  a  preacher,  197. 
Victoria,    his    life    and    death    there, 

500-501,  507,  511-513,  521,  524- 
Vindicatory   Justice    Essential   to 

God,  393. 
Virginia  Ante-Bellum  Society,  14- 

23- 

Virginia,  Sketches  of  Life  in,  190- 
192. 


Index. 


585 


Virginia,  University  of,  character 
of.  at  the  time  of  his  entrance, 
50-51. 

finances,  74-75. 

views  on  the  community,  60-61. 

the  murder  of  Prof.  Davis,  56-60. 

the  professors,  51-54. 

the  students,  54-55. 

work  and  success  there,  61-63,  75. 

War,  The  Civil,  conditions  in  Vir- 
ginia during,  276-278. 

m  the  North,  278-279. 

conduct  of,   his  views  on,  235-236, 
258,  282,  288-290. 

efforts  to  avert,  212-231. 

predictions  of,  211. 
West  Hanover  Presbytery,  licensed 
by,  94- 

resolutions  on  his  dismissal  to  the 
Presbytery     of     Central     Texas, 
440-441. 
Wharey,  Rev.  Jas.,  presents  to  him 
claims  of  the  ministry,  76. 

his  teacher,  28. 


Wharey,  Rev.  Thos.,  assistant  in 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  194. 

White,   Rev.    Dr.    H.   M.,   eulogy   to 
Union  Seminary,  432. 
of  his  theological  and  teaching  abil- 
ity, 197. 

White,  Rev.  W.  S.,  friendship  for,  64. 
letters  from,  of  encouragement,  11 1. 
on  leaving  the  Seminary,  314-315. 
accepting  professorship  there,   134- 
136. 

Whitehead,  Rev.  Dr.  Paul,  letter 
from,  on  the  Bledsoe  controversy, 
389-390. 

Wilson,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  B.,  professor  in 
Union  Seminary,  82,  83,  145,  195. 

Witherspoon,  Rev.  Dr.  T.  D.,  ac- 
count of  his  lectures  at  Louis- 
ville Seminary,  496-497. 

WooDROW,  Rev.  Dr.  Jas.,  controversy 
with,  339-348- 

WooLDRiDGE,  Mr.  A.  P.,  spccch  in  be- 
half of  the  University  of  Texas, 
on  reception  of  his  portrait,  461- 
464. 


